CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(Monographs) 


ICIVIH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographies) 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  ima:^js  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 


0 


Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I   Covers  damaged  / 


Couverture  endommag^e 


□   Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pellicul^e 

Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

I I   Coloured  maps  /  Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 

□   Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

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Bound  with  other  material  / 
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Only  edition  available  / 
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int^rieure. 

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within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have  been 
omitted  from  filming  /  II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages 
blanches  ajout^es  tors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  iorsque  cela  6tait 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  ^t^  f  ilmies. 

Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires: 


D 

D 
D 


D 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire qui  sont  peut-gtre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  m^tho- 
de  normale  de  filmage  sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 

Coloured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

I I   Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommag6es 

□   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul^es 

0   Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
Pages  d^olor^es,  tachet^es  ou  piqu^es 

I      I   Pages  detached  /  Pages  d6tach6es 

\^\   Showthrough  /  Transparence 

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pelure,  etc.,  ont  ^t^  fiimies  k  nouveau  de  fa^on  k 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant  ayant  des 
colorations  variables  ou  des  decolorations  sont 
film^es  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la  meilleure  image 
possible. 


n 


D 


This  Kern  is  f  ilnwd  st  the  reduction  ratio  checlted  beiow  / 

Ce  document  est  fiim^  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


lOx 

14x 

18x 

22x 

26x 

30x 

y 

12x 


16x 


20x 


24x 


28x 


32x 


The  copy  filmed  h«r«  has  h—n  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosJty  of: 

BiblJothique  gtnitale, 
Univertiti  Laval, 
Quibec,  Quibec. 

Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  »r9  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
.liming  contract  apacificationa. 


Original  eopias  in  printad  papar  eovara  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  lllustratad  impraa- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  beginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  Illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  paga  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  improaaion. 


The  iaat  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  ^»>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  ap-><ias. 

Mapa.  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ere  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  film«  fut  reproduit  grice  k  la 
gAn*rositA  de: 

BibliotMque  ginirale, 
Univartitt  Laval, 
Quibac,  Quibac. 

Les  imeges  suivantas  ont  «t«  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattet«  de  I'exempleira  film*,  at  tn 
conformit*  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmaga. 

Lea  exemplairas  origineux  dont  la  couvarture  en 
papier  est  imprim«e  sont  film4s  en  commancant 
par  la  premier  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darni*re  paga  qui  comporta  une  emprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  les  autras  exemplaires 
origineux  sont  film*s  an  commanpent  par  la 
premiere  paga  qui  comporta  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustrstion  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derni*re  paga  qui  comporta  una  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symboles  suivants  spparaitra  sur  la 
derni*re  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  salon  le 
cas:  la  symbols  -^>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN' . 

Les  eartea,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  «tra 
film«s  i  das  taux  da  reduction  diff«rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich«,  it  est  film*  i  partir 
de  I'angia  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  i  droits, 
et  de  haut  an  bas.  en  prenant  la  nombre 
d'images  nicessaira.  Las  diagrammas  suivants 
illuatrant  la  mAthoda. 


12  3 

4  5  6 


MICROCOPY    RESOLUTION   TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No   2) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


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3.2 


■  3.6 

1 4.0 


2.5 
2.2 

2.0 


1.8 


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■TELL  ME  A  TRUE  STORY  - 


By 
MART  STElVARr 
Tell  Me  a  Hero  Story 

lllmtratcil,  l2mo,  cloth 

"  Happy  will  ihe  cliildrrn  l,c  wh„  fin,I  ihi«  new  lrc.i«iiry  .f 
ti<rr.i  Ht.inrt  rniLTiK  ihuii  I  l,t  ,',iiii,  ,;iti,.  MisiSiew^ri  l.v. 
ret.il  I  In  clcir.  »j)niilo  f.irm  (whik-  Mill  prrxcrvinu  il.rir  Mir 
rmn  ipirii)  <.iiin-  ..1.1  »ii.ri..>  f..,iiicl  ii^hrini- 1  m  itimiunv-ri.rv 
an.lilir  p;-a.aiii  -,uni;»  „(il,r  w,„|,>  ||,ri,,„l,  i,  ,1.  l.uMf.illy 
llliiMr..t^.l  liy  >.  M.  |'.Jin,M.  »lio«iiin,,u..-,lr:miiiKsri:tV>i 
Ihe  tieruic  iitII  anri  l.>ltv  j.p.  .il  whi.  h  run.  like  a  ^•M.m 
throaJ,  Ihruu^huut  ihcitc  fast  naiun;  talc-.." 

Chriiliaii  iKlitligintrr. 

The  Shepherd  of  I  S  All 

Storks  of  the  Christ  llctold  for  Children.     Illus- 
trated    

..'■'  n"w   ^'«»'-'»'*  '»  »  Renin's  at  wrillnR  a  Bible  story.    . 

Jell  ^I<:  a  True  Sti.ry  '  l.il.  s,  Isttirics  of  <  >M  Icnm 
hcroei.  has  gone  int..  a  niiinhcr  cif  editi.int  and  has  w..n  ci.in- 
inenil.iiim*  frim  teachers,  pasti.rs  and  parents  everywhere 
Her  new  bonk,  which  cuniprises  stciriei  uf  ihe  life  of  Chris! 
•»  an  even  ..Irunger  piece  of^work."— Biio*  Ntv/t, 

Once  Upon  a  Time  Tales 

With  "The  Way  to  Once  Upon  a  Time" 
hy  Henry  V^an  Dyke.  Illustratcil  and  Deco- 
rated hy  Grisclda  Marshall  McClure. 
cloth 


Her 

lent 


1 2ino, 


■'  The  bwk  g^es  into  the  enl.clng  realms  of  fairy  lore.  A 
sl.rphcrd  with  -.  magic  flute  leads  the  way.  Then  come  ud- 
vcnliires  in  iplniiy.  All  the  fav.iritrs.  even  unto  the  giants 
are  found  anil  iliere  n  not  a  word  i  .  kcrp  the  luo.st  ncrvuus 
youngnei  from  slL-epiry  as  do  the  just." 

— Baltimore  Evi-ning  Suit. 

Tell  Me  a  True  Story 

Tales  of  Bible  Heroes  for  Children  of  To-day. 
Introduction  by  A.  F.  Scliautfler,  D.  D.  Illus- 
trated.    Cloth 

Pattei;»onDu  Boisna;-*^  "  *t  the  (op  of. -jll  the  Bible  Story 
.'^'^*     f°J    children."  > -illiam     K.    Kichark  .says 

•  Ihese  htories  _h-ve  ,..  .lin.nKh  a  thorough  IcMinj;." 
Henry  bloanc  Coifin  lays:  "A  fascinating  book,  much 
needed,  a  treasure." 


[> 
'.'/ 


44 


Tell  Me  a  True  Story'' 

Talcs  of  Bible  Heroes  for 
The  Children  of  To-day 


Arran^{!;ed  by 
MARY  STEWART 


Wi.h  an  Introduction  by 
A.  K  SCHAUFFLER.  D.  D. 


ILLUSTPxATED 


New  York  Chicago        Toronto 

Fleming    H.    Revell   Company 


London 


AND 


Edinburgh 


Copyright,   1909,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  11  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:     75     Trinrcs    Street 


To 

the  boys  and  girls 

of 

Christ  Church  Sunday-School 

New  York  City 


INTRODUCTION 

EVERY  one  loves  brilliant  work,  and 
that  is  just  what  Miss  Stewart  has 
given  all  lovers  of  children,  in  this 
book. 

The  manner  of  telling  these  Bible  stories 
has  been  the  result  of  much  personal  experi- 
ence on  the  part  of  Miss  Stewart,  for  sue  is  a 
most  successful  teacher  of  the  little  ones,  and 
knows  just  how  to  reach  their  active  minds. 

All  capable  teachers  agree  that  the  rising 
generation  knows  all  too  little  of  the  grand 
stories  of  the  Old  Book,  and  that  no  other 
book  or  books  in  the  world  can  match  the 
Bible  for  pictorial  presentation  of  such  truths 
as  attract  and  fascinate  the  child's  mind, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  arouse  enthu 
siasm  and  lead  the  child  to  right  action. 

The  time  of  all  times  in  which  to  store  the 
mind  with  stirring  narratives  is  early  chih'- 
hood.  Children  dearly  love  Bible  stories, 
and  these  can  be  made  more  attractive  than 
the  most  popular  fairy  stories,  on  account  of 

7 


h 


8 


Introduction 


their  intrinsic  merit,  and  because  they  are 
"  true."  For  after  all,  the  child,  while  it 
loves  the  fairy  tale,  loves  the  "  true "  story 
still  better.  "  Tell  me  a  true  story,"  is  the 
plea  often  heard  by  those  who  deal  much 
with  children.  Why  then  should  not  this 
desire  be  met  with  those  best  of  all  stories, 
that  we  find  in  the  Word  of  God? 

These  biblical  narratives  carry  with  them 
tlieir  own  practical  lessons.  How  beter 
could  sisterly  fidelity  be  taught  than  by  the 
charming  story  of  Miriam  and  the  baby 
Moses?  What  better  foundation  could  be 
laid  for  the  teaching  of  unswerving  loyalty  to 
duty  than  that  found  in  the  story  of  Joseph  ? 
Teachers  of  children  in  the  Sunday-school,  or 
the  children's  meeting,  as  well  as  mothers  in 
the  home,  may  well  use  this  wonderful  method 
of  fascinating,  and  at  the  same  time  teaching, 
the  little  ones  committed  to  their  care. 

Of  course  there  is  much  in  the  "  way  "  in 
which  a  story  is  told.  Great  is  the  art  of  the 
story-teller.  In  this  book  the  gifted  authoress 
has  given  fine  examples  of  how  a  story  may 
be  made  most  interesting  to  children  in  Sun- 
day-school or  in  the  home.    All  who  rightly 


Introduction  g 

use  this  book  will  learn  almost  unconsciously 
how  to  tell  stories  in  such  a  way  as  to  charm 
the  little  ones  who  so  dearly  love  the  story, 
and  who  through  it  can  leam  much  that  it 
would  be  most  difficult  to  teach  them  in  any 
other  way. 

Most  heartily  do  we  commend  this  book, 
then,  to  all  who  are  trying  to  make  Bible 
nanatives  and  characters  real  to  the  children 
unde.  their  care. 

A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 


CONTENTS 


1. 

II. 
III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX, 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 
XXIV. 
XXV. 


Moa 

The  Garden  op  Eden 

•        >S 

Forbidden  Fruit 

■9 

Cain  and  Abel  . 

*3 

Story  op  the  Flood 

'      *7 

The  Story  op  Abraham 

•      33 

Rebekah  at  the  Well 

.      38 

Jacob  and  the  Angels 

•      44 

Joseph  the  Dreamer  . 

.      48 

Joseph  Sold  by  His  Brothers 

>      S3 

Joseph  the  Ruler 

•                         •                         4 

.       56 

Joseph  Forgiving  His  Brothers  . 

59 

The  Baby  Bov  Moses 

.      C 

Moses  the  Leader 

68 

The  Red  Sea     . 

74 

Joshua  the  Soldier     . 

77 

The  Boy  Samuel 

82 

The  Story  of  Ruth  . 

87 

David  the  Shepherd  Boy 

9« 

David  and  the  King  . 

95 

David  and  the  Giant 

100 

How  God  Took  Care  of 

Elijah 

IDS 

The  Barrel  op  Meal  and  the  Cruse 

OF  Oil  . 

•         .         . 

III 

Elijah  and  the  Little  Boy 

"5 

Fire  from  Heaven 

.         .         . 

118 

Thb  Story  of  Four  Boys 

.         .         . 

I2J 

II 

12 


Contents 


XXVI. 

Thi  Burning  Fiery  Furnaci           . 

««9 

XXVII. 

How  God  Punished  a  Proud  Kino  . 

136 

xxvin. 

Daniel  in  the  Den  or  Lions  , 

"4« 

XXIX. 

The  Coming  or  the  King       .         . 

146 

XXX. 

The  First  Christmas     .         .         • 

150 

XXXI. 

The  Story  or  the  Wish  Men 

«S3 

XXXII. 

The  Story  or  Saint  Christopher  . 

'57 

XXXIII. 

The  Boyhood  or  Jesus  . 

162 

XXXIV. 

Jesus  the  Carpenter      .         . 

.     166 

XXXV. 

Jesus  and  a  Little  Girl         • 

.     17a 

XXXVI. 

Jesus  and  the  Children          . 

«77 

XXXVII. 

The  Good  Shepherd     . 

,     180 

XXXVIII. 

The  Lost  Sheep    ,        .        • 

.     184 

XXXIX. 

The  Lost  Money  .         .         .         . 

,     188 

XL. 

The  Lost  Son 

.     193 

XLI. 

The  Light  op  the  V/orld     . 

.     198 

XLII. 

"  Follow  Me  "    . 

.     203 

XLIII. 

The  Offering  or  a  Little  Lad 

.     207 

XLIV. 

The  Stilling  or  a  Storm 

.     213 

XLV. 

Thc  Good  Neighbour  . 

.     217 

XLVI. 

The  Last  Supper  . 

.     22s 

XLVII. 

The  Story  or  Easter    . 

.     227 

XLVIII. 

Jesus'  Last  Message       .        « 
Suggestions      for     SundaT-Schooi 

.     234 

I. 

Teachers  .... 

.     »39 

Arrangement  by  Months 

•     243 

Order  or  Service           .         . 

.     246 

Birthday  Service  . 

.     250 

Welcoming  New  Scholars     , 

.     251 

Cradle  Roll  Service    .        • 

.     252 

Promotion  Sbrvicb        .        • 

.      2$J 

ILLUSTRATIONS 


«  Tell  Mb  a  Trub  Story  "     . 

Exi-ULSIUN  FROM  THE  GaRDEN  OF  EdBN 

Rebekah  at  the  Well 

A  Caravan  in  Egypt 

The  Finding  of  Mose* 

Ruth  and  Naomi     . 

David  and  the  Lion 

Elijah  and  the  Widow's  Son 

Daniel's  Answer  to  the  Kino 

The  Arrival  of  the  Shepherds 

The  Boy  Jesus  in  the  Carpenter's  Shop 

Jesus  Blessing  Little  Children 

The  Good  Shepherd         .         . 

The  Light  of  the  World         . 

"  Lord  Save  Me  "  . 

The  Women  at  the  Tomb        . 


Fating  pagt 
Tillt 
It 
4> 
55 
66 

87 

94 
117 

»45 

<5« 

164 

178 
180 
199 
aij 


The  Gardtu  of  Eden 

Genesis  /  .•  /-j  ;  2  :  ^  to  end 

\\      ^^  sets  dark  and  night  is  coming, 

do  you  not  ? 
And   when  do  you  get  up?    When   the 
light  comes  and  it  is  morning. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  no  daytime, 
It  was  all  night.  Do  you  wonder  how  the 
people  knew  when  it  was  time  to  go  to  bed 
and  when  to  get  up  ? 

There  were  no  people  on  the  earth  to  go 
to  bed  or  to  get  up.  The  world  was  a  great, 
dark,  dreary  place  with  no  people,  nor 
animals,  nor  even  grass  upon  it.  There 
was  no  sun  to  shine  by  day,  nor  moon  and 
stars  by  night. 

But  although  there  were  no  people  living 
on  the  earth  there  was  always  one  person  in 
heaven.     Do  you  know  who  ?    God. 
God  looked  down  upon  the  poor,  dark 


I 


l6  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

earth  and  said,  "  Let  there  be  light."  And 
there  was  light  And  God  called  the  light 
day,  and  the  darkness  night.  And  that  was 
the  first  day  in  the  world.  After  that  God 
made  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  stars,  and 
set  them  in  the  sky  to  give  light. 

In  the  earth  there  were  many  tiny  seeds 
^i  all  the  trees,  and  bushes,  and  flowers. 
But  they  could  not  spring  up,  because  the 
ground  was  hard  and  dry,  for  no  man  had 
ever  plowed  it  and  no  rain  had  ever  fallen. 

So  God  caused  a  soft,  gray  mist  to  come 
up  from  the  earth,  to  water  all  the  ground 
and  make  it  soft,  and  the  seeds  sent  up  little 
shoots,  which  grew  tall  and  green. 

Then  God  took  some  dust  of  the  ground 
and  out  of  it  He  made  a  man.  He  breathed 
the  breath  of  life  into  him  and  he  became  a 
living  soul.  God  has  breathed  the  breath  of 
life  into  every  one  of  us,  and  that  is  why  we 
are  living  souls. 

God  wanted  this  first  man  to  be  happy. 
So  He  planted  a  garden  eastward,  in  Eden, 
and  there  He  put  Adam,  the  man  whom  He 
had  luade.  It  was  a  very  beautiful  garden. 
There    were   soft    green  grass  and  bright 


The  Garden  of  Eden 


»7 


flowers,  and  a  river  running  throufjh  it  to 
water  it  and  keep  it  fresh.  Every  tree  which 
is  pleasant  to  look  at  and  bears  good  fruit 
was  planted  in  it.  Among  them  there  was 
one  called  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil. 

It  must  have  been  a  lovely  place,  and  for 
a  time  Adam  was  very   happy,  eating  the 
fruit,  and  watering  and  gathering  the  flowers. 
But  soon  he  grew  lonely ;  he  wanted  some- 
thing alive   to   talk  to,   a  dog,  or  a  kitten, 
or  even  a  little  bird.    So  out  of  the  dust 
of    the  ground   God   made   animals,   every 
beast  of  the   fields  and    every   bird   vvhi-:h 
flies  in  the  air,  and  brought  them  to  Adam 
to  see  what  he  would   call  them.     Let   us 
think  of  all   the  animals  we  can ;  then  we 
shall  know  what  names  Adam  gave  to  tlietn 
in  the  Garden  of  Eden. 

The  animals  must  have  been  fun  to  play 
with,  but  shouldn't  you  have  wanted  also 
some  one  who  could  talk  to  you?  You 
would  have  longed  for  a  boy,  or  a  girl 
and  that  was  the  way  Adam  felt.  There 
was  not  a  real  helpmeet,  or  playmate,  for 
him    among    all    the    animals      God    had 


i 


i8  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

said,  "It  is  not  good  that  man  should  be 
alone.  I  will  make  a  helpmeet  for  him," 
and  He  caused  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  upon 
Adam,  and  whi'e  he  slept  He  took  a  bone 
out  of  his  side,  a  rib.  Out  of  that  rib  God 
made  a  lovely  woman  and  brought  her  to 
Adam. 

When  he  woke  and  saw  her  standing 
beiore  him  he  was  very  glad.  "This  is 
now  bone  of  my  bone,  and  flesh  of  my 
flesh,"  he  said;  "she  shall  be  called 
woman."  He  gave  her  another  name  too, 
Eve,  and  they  lived  together  very  happily 
in  the  garden  of  Eden,  tending  the  flowers, 
caring  for  the  animals  and  loving  each  other 
as  they  loved  their  Father  God. 


n 

Forbidden  Fruit 

Genesis  j 

DO  you  remember  about  the  beautiful 
garden  where  Adam  and  Eve  lived  ? 
You  know  how  happy  they  were, 
taking  care  of  the  flowers  and  playing  with 
the  animals.  Every  evening,  when  the  sun 
had  set  and  it  began  to  grow  dark  and  cool, 
God  came  to  the  garden  and  walked  and 
talked  with  them.  How  they  must  have 
watched  for  Him,  as  children  watch  for 
their  father  to  come  home  in  the  evening. 
That  was  the  best  part  of  the  day.  They 
ran  to  meet  Him  and  told  Him  about  all  the 
things  they  had  been  doing,  about  the  differ- 
ent flowers  and  trees  and  animals.  It  must 
have  been  very  wonderful  to  see  God  and  to 
hear  Him  speak,  and  how  dearly  they  must 
have  loved  Him. 

There  were  many  fruit  trees  in  that  garden, 
and  God  had  told  Adam  and  Eve  they  might 

»9 


20  "  Tell  Me  a  True  Story  " 

eat  of  the  fruit  of  all  the  trees,  except  or.ti 
The  fruit  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil  He  had  told  them  not  to  eat,  so  as 
to  teach  them  to  obey. 

Well,  one  day  Eve  was  walking  in  the 
garden,  tending  the  flowers  and  plants,  and 
talking  to  the  animals.  At  last,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  garden,  she  came  to  the  tree  of 
the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  In  front  of 
it  was  a  snake,  and  the  snake  said  to  Eve, 
"  Has  God  indeed  said  that  you  shall  not  eat 
of  any  tree  in  the  garden  ?  " 

Eve  answered,  "  We  may  eat  the  fruit  of 
every  tree,  except  the  tree  which  is  in  the 
middle  of  the  garden,  and  God  has  said  if 
we  eat  of  that  one,  or  even  touch  it,  we  shall 
die." 

The  snake  told  her  that  this  was  not  true. 
"Ye  shall  not  die,"  it  said.  Then  Eve  looked 
at  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,  and  when  she  saw  how  pretty 
it  was  and  that  it  looked  good  to  eat,  she 
picked  some  and  ate  it.  The  rest  she  gave 
to  Adam  and  he  ate  it  too. 

Very  soon  the  sun  set  and  it  began  to 
grow  cool  and  fragrant  in  the  garden.    That 


i<orbidden  Fruit 


21 


«vas  the  time  God  came  to  see  them,  and  they 
were  always  watching  for  Him,  but  this  day, 
after  they  had  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit,  they 
were  afraid,  and  when  they  heard  God  walk- 
ing in  the  garden  they  hid  among  the  trees. 

God  called  to  Adam  :  "  Where  art  thou  ?" 

And  Adam  and  Eve  came  out  of  their  hid- 
ing place  and  Adam  said,  "I  heard  Thy 
voice  in  the  garden,  and  I  was  afraid,  and  I 
hid  myself."  That  was  a  strange  thinp-  for  a 
son  to  say  to  his  Heavenly  Father,  that  he 
was  afraid  when  he  heard  Him  coming,  and 
hid.  Why  was  he  afraid  ?  Because  he  had 
done  wrong. 

Then  God  asked  him  if  he  had  eaten  the 
fruit  of  the  tree  He  had  told  him  not  to  touch, 
and  Adam  said,  "  Eve  gave  me  the  fruit  and 
I  did  eat." 

God  turned  to  Eve  saying,  "Whal  'last 
thou  done  ?  " 

Eve  answered,  "The  snake  tempted  me, 
and  I  did  eat." 

So  God  punished  the  snake.  He  made 
him  crawl,  always  fiat  on  the  ground,  be- 
cause he  had  tempted  Eve.  But  Adam  and 
Eve  He  had  to  punish  most ;  He  sent  them 


22  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

out  of  the  beautiful  garden  where  He  had 
walked  and  talked  with  them;  and  at  the 
gate  of  the  geu-den  He  placed  an  angel  with 
a  flaming  sword  in  his  hand  which  turned 
every  way,  so  that  no  one  could  come  again 
into  that  beautiful  place. 

Outside  of  the  garden  the  ground  was 
rough  and  stony,  and  there  were  no  lovely 
flowers  ;  only  thistles  and  thorns.  Adam  and 
Eve  had  to  work  hard,  very  hard,  to  make 
anything  grow,  and  they  were  sometimes 
sick  and  sad.  But  God  loved  them  always, 
even  though  they  had  done  wrong.  He  pun- 
ished them  only  to  "~  .  ..e  them  good.  Before 
they  left  the  gi^iuen  He  gave  them  coats  of 
fur  to  keep  them  warm  ;  and  when  they  were 
truly  sorry  for  what  they  had  done,  I  am  sure 
He  came  to  them  again  and  walked  with 
them  in  the  new  garden  which  they  had 
toiled  so  hard  to  make. 


FXPULSION  FROM  THE  GARDEN  OF  EDEN 


in 
Cain  and  Abel 

Genesis  4  :  1-16 

WHEN  we  love  people  very  much, 
we    often    give    them    presents. 
I  am  going  to  tell  you  about  two 
boys   who  brought  presents  to  God.    One 
was  a  farmer,  who  had  a  garden  and  raised 
fruit  and  vegetables,  and  the  other  was  a 
shepherd,  who  took  care  of  sheep  and  goats. 
The    shepherd's   name  was    Abel  and  the 
farmer's  name  was  Cain.     Each  brought  a 
present   to    God    of  what    he   had.      Abel 
brought  some  of  his  litde  lambs,  and  Cain 
brought    some    fruit.      Abel    brought    his 
gift  gladly ;  he  was  manly  and  honest  and 
good.    I  think  he  loved  giving  a  present  to 
God,  and  his  face  was  bright  and  joyful  as 
he  came  with  the  lambs  in  his  arms.     But 
Caiii^  face  was  cross.     He  was  not  good, 
and  I  do  not  believe  he  took  nice  care  of  his 
garden.    I  think  he  let  the  weeds  grow  there, 
and  he  did  not  give  his  fruit  at  all  gladly 

33 


s 

3 


24  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

to  God.  So  God  was  pleased  with  Abel  and 
his  lambs,  but  He  was  displeased  with  Cain, 
and  the  present  he  gave  so  unwillingly.  That 
made  Cain  very  angry ;  he  had  not  looked 
happy  before,  but  now  he  went  about  sullenly, 
with  a  long  face  and  a  hanging  head. 

Then  God  spoke  to  him.  He  was  Cain's 
Heavenly  Father  as  much  as  Abel's,  and  He 
wanted  him  to  be  good.  "  Why  art  thou 
angry,"  He  said,  "  and  why  is  thy  countenance 
fallen?  If  thou  doest  well,  shall  it  not  be 
lifted  up?  But  if  thou  doest  not  well,  sin  lieth 
at  the  door,  crouching,  ready  to  spring,  but 
thou  shouldst  rule  over  him." 

God  meant  that  sin  was  lying  like  a  baby 
lion  at  the  door  of  Cain's  heart.  If  Cain 
chose  he  could  tame  the  lion  before  it  grew 
big  and  strong,  and  teach  it  to  obey  him ; 
but  if  he  did  not  do  it  at  once,  the  lion  of  sin 
would  grow  strong  and  fierce,  and  would 
make  him  sinful,  too. 

Then  Cain  asked  Abel  to  go  into  the  field 
with  him,  and  Abel  was  glad  to  go,  thinking 
Cain  was  willing  to  be  friendly  again.  But 
no ;  while  they  were  walking  together  in  the 
field    Cain    turned  and   killed   his  brother 


Cain  and  Abel 


That  crouching  lion  had  grown  strong  and 
had  got  the  better  of  him. 

Now  God  spoke  to  Cain  again,  but  in  a 
diflerent  way.  Before,  He  had  spoken  lov- 
ingly and  sorrowfully,  trying  to  make  him 
goou,  but  now  His  voice  was  very  stern. 

"Cain,"  He  said,  "where  is  Abel,  thy 
b.oth  r?" 

Cai  1  answered,  "I  know  not  Am  I  my 
bi other's  keeper?  " 

God  said,  "What  hast  thou  done?  The 
voice  of  thy  brother's  blood  crieth  unto  Me 
from  the  ground.  And  now  thou  must  leave 
thy  home,  and  mother  and  fatner,  and  go  into 
strange  lands.  All  thy  life  thon  shalt  be  a 
wanderer,  hiding  and  fleeing  over  the  face  of 
the  earth." 

That  frightened  Cain  ;  wicked  as  he  was  he 
did  not  want  to  leave  his  home  and  family, 
and  he  was  afraid  some  one  would  kill  him 
for  having  killed  his  brother.  "  My  punish- 
ment is  greater  than  I  can  bear,"  he  said. 
"  Behold  Thou  hast  driven  me  out  this  day 
from  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  and  from  Thy  face 
shall  I  be  hid,  and  it  shall  come  to  pass  that 
every  one  that  findeth  me  shall  slay  me  " 


26  "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

So  God,  who  was  still  the  Heavenly  Father 
of  this  man,  gave  him  a  sign  by  which  he  should 
know  that  He  was  watching  over  him  and 
would  not  let  any  one  kill  him.  We  do  not 
know  what  the  sign  was ;  perhaps  it  was  a 
star  in  the  sky,  perhaps  it  was  a  mark  on 
Cain's  hand,  something  he  could  look  at 
when  he  was  far  away  to  remind  him  that 
God  was  still  watching  him. 

So  Cain  went  away,  and  built  a  city,  and 
lived  all  the  rest  of  his  life  away  from  his 
father  and  mother,  a  lonely  and  unhappy 
man. 


IV 
Story  of  the  Flood 

Genesis  6,  7,  8 

ONE  of  the  toys  that  we  love  best  is 
the  Noah's  Ark.  Should  you  like 
to  hear  a  story  about  the  first  Noah's 
Ark  that  was  ever  made  ? 

It  was  very,  very  big,  bigger  than  a  house, 
and  all  the  people  and  animals  in  it  were 
alive.     This  is  how  it  happened  to  be  made. 

Once  upon  a  time,  longer  years  ago  than 
it  is  easy  to  count,  there  were  many  wicked 
people  in  the  world.  They  did  so  many  bad 
things  that  God  had  to  punish  them.  But 
among  them  there  was  one  man  whose  name 
was  Noah,  who  was  so  good  that  the  Bible 
says,  "  He  walked  with  God."  He  had  a 
wife  and  three  sons,  and  God  told  him  that, 
although  all  the  bad  people  must  be  punished, 
He  would  save  him  and  his  family. 

Then  He  told  him  to  do  a  strange  thing, 
to  build  an  ark  like  your  Noah's  Ark,  only 

27 


28 


^11  Me  a  True  Story" 


very  '  A/ith  three  stories  in  it,  and  one  win 
dow  high  up,  and  a  door  in  the  side.  God 
told  him  that  when  it  was  finished,  he  should 
take  two  of  every  kind  of  animal,  and  go  in 
nimself  with  his  family,  and  shut  the  door. 
Then  He  would  send  a  great  long  rain,  a 
flood,  and  all  the  bad  people  would  be 
drowned,  but  Noah  and  his  family  and  the 
animals  in  the  ark  would  be  saved.  You  see 
the  ark  was  half  a  house,  and  half  a  bo'it,  so 
that  it  would  float  in  the  water.  It  must  have 
seemed  strange  to  Noah  to  build  that  big 
boat  on  the  dry  land,  while  the  sky  was 
bright  and  there  was  no  sign  of  rain.  But 
Noah  trusted  and  obeyed  God,  and  it  was 
well  for  him  and  those  animals  that  he  did, 
for  listen  to  what  happened. 

When  the  ark  was  finished,  Noah  called 
together  two  of  every  kind  of  animal.  What 
lots  of  them  there  must  have  been  1  Two  by 
two  they  marched  into  the  ark,  and  behind 
them  came  Noah  and  his  wife,  and  his  sons 
and  their  wives.  The  door  was  shut,  and 
a  pattering  sound  was  heard  on  the  roof. 
What  do  you  think  it  was?  Rain;  gentle 
summer  rain  at  first,  then  it  fell  more  heavily, 


Story  of  the  Flood  2^ 

until  soon  so  much  water  had  fallen  that  the 
gr(»und  was  covered,  and  the  ark  began  to 
float.  Then  it  started  to  rock  and  toss  like  a 
ship  at  sea,  for  the  wind  blew,  the  rain  fell  in 
torrents,  the  little  brooks  and  lakes  over- 
flowed, and  the  flood  had  come. 

The  Bible  says,  "  The  same  day  were  all 
the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  broken  up, 
and  the  windows  of  heaven  were  opened." 
Even  the  mi>untain  tops  were  covered,  and 
so  of  course  all  the  houses  were  washed 
away,  and  the  bad  people  were  drowned. 
But  inside  the  ark,  Noah  and  his  family 
and  the  animals  were  safe. 

God  was  watching  them,  and  after  the 
rain  had  fallen  for  a  long  time  God  "  made 
a  wind  to  pass  over  the  earth,  and  the  foun- 
tains of  the  deep  and  the  windows  of  heaven 
were  stopped,  and  the  rain  from  heaven 
ceased."  Then  suddenly  the  ark  stopped 
rocking,  and  stood  still.  What  do  you  sup- 
pose had  happened  ?  The  water  had  been 
getting  lower  and  lower,  undl  the  top  of  one 
of  the  mountains  was  seen,  and  on  that 
mountain  the  ark  rested.  Do  you  remember 
what  there  was  high  up  in  the  ark?    A 


'f^  2^. 


30  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

window.     When  the  ark  stopped  rocking  and 
Noah  knew  that  the  rain  was  over,  he  opened 
that  window  and  out  of  it  he  let  fly  a  raven. 
The  raven  did  not  find  any  ground  to  light 
upon,  but  it  did  not  come  back,  it  just  flew 
to  and  fro  till  the  waters  were  dried  up  from 
ofT  the  earth.     Then  Noah  sent  out  a  dove. 
Doves  cannot  fly  as  long  as  ravens  can,  and 
Nc^ah  knew  that  if  the  dove  did  not  find  any- 
where to  rest,  she  would  come  back  and  he 
would  know  that  the  waters  still  covered  the 
earth.     "The   dove   found   no  rest  for  the 
sole   of  her   foot,"  so  she  flew  back  to  the 
ark,  and  Noah  put  out  his  hand  and  brought 
her  in. 

After  seven  days  he  sent  her  out  again  ;  all 
day  she  flew  about  and  came  back  in  the 
evening,  and  in  her  beak  was  a  little  green 
leaf,  an  olive  leaf. 

So  Noah  knew  that  the  waters  were  get- 
ting lower,  and  that  the  tops  of  the  trees 
must  be  above  it. 

For  seven  days  more  he  waited,  and  then, 
when  he  sent  the  dove  out,  she  did  not  come 
back,  and  he  knew  that  she  had  found  1  .nd 
on  which  to  rest.     Then  God  spoke  again  to 


Story  of  the  Flood 


i 

,1 

I 

1 

i 

■I 


3> 

Noah.  He  told  him  to  leave  the  ark.  taking 
his  vviie,  and  sons,  a'nd  their  wives,  and  all 
the  animals  ^Hi  him.  and  to  build  nice 
homes  a^^aii  on  ^c  hn<^.  So  Noah  opened 
the  door  am  tb.^y  all  ca/ue  out.  How  glad 
they  must  l:;o  be.,,  t^  5^  j^  the  fresh  air 
again,  with  bright  skies  over  them  and 
ground  beneath  their  feet  I 

I  do  not  believe  the  land  was  very  dry  at 
first ;  there  must  have  been  big  puddles,  and 
muddy  places.  But  the  grass  and  trees 
looked  very  green  and  fresh,  and  everything 
smelt  nice  and  earthy,  the  way  it  does  after  a 
thunder-storm. 

But  there  was  something  for  Noah  and  his 
family  to  see  which  was  more  beautiful  than 
shmmg  sun,  or  green  grass,  or  bright  flowers. 
In  the  sky  facing  them  there  was  a  wonder- 
ful rainbow.     Have  you  ever  seen  a  rainbow  ? 
You   know  how  it  makes  a  great  arch   in 
the  sky.     Every  colour  is  in  it.  each  melt- 
ing  into  another,  and  when  you  see  it  you 
are  happy,  and  your  heart  leaps  up. 

That  is  the  way  Noah  felt  too.  and  all  his 
family.  For  ?s  they  looked  with  wonder  at 
that  beautiful  arch,  God  spoke  to  them.     He 


32  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

told  them  that  He  would  never  send  anothef 
flood,  that  He  would  always  watch  over  and 
take  care  of  them,  and  all  the  people  who 
lived  after  them ;  that  every  time  they  looked 
at  the  rainbow  they  must  remember  that  He 
was  looking  at  it  too,  and  that  He  had  prom- 
ised to  take  care  of  them. 

That  promise  is  to  us  also.  I  hope  that 
we  shall  have  a  rainbow  very  soon  to  remind 
us  of  the  promise,  and  whenever  we  see  the 
rainbow  we  must  think  of  this  story,  and 
remember  that  the  rainbow  stands  for  God's 
promise  to  take  care  of  us. 


The  Story  of  Abraham 

MatL  :t  ,  r 

ONCE  in  a  far  country  many  yearj 
ago  there  were  some  men  who  lived 
in  tents  instead  of  houses.  The  old- 
est of  them  was  named  Abraham  and  he 
had  taken  a  long  journey  across  a  desert, 
pitching  his  tent  every  night  on  the  sand 
under  the  stars,  and  during  the  day  riding 
upon  a  camel.  Abraham's  wife  was  with 
him  and  hi=  .ung  nephew  Lot  and  many 
servants,  ai.  g.  upon   camels.     At  last 

the  desert  wa.  crossed  and  Abraham  and  his 
company  saw  before  them  green  grass  and 
'•Uie  streams  and  mountains  covered  with 
woods.  Oh.  how  glad  they  must  have  been 
to  leave  the  hot,  flat  stretches  of  sand  and 
pitch  their  tents  -  soft  giass  with  the  trees 
rustling  over  their  heads  1  For  many  days 
they  journeyed  over  that  beautiful  country, 

33 


9 


mm 


34  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

pitching  their  tents  in  different  places,  and 
often  Abraham  would  build  in  hont  of  the 
tent  a  little  altar,  like  a  table  made  of  stones. 
There  he  would  kneel  and  pray  to  God.  I 
think  that  Sarah  filso  prayed,  but  Lot,  the 
young  nephew  who  came  with  them  you 
remember,  was  different  horn  his  uncle  and 
aunt  and  I  do  not  believe  he  prayed  at  all. 
He  was  mean  and  selfish  ard  we  cannot  be 
like  that  if  we  pray  every  day  with  all  our 
hearts.  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  story  about 
him  and  when  it  is  finished  you  must  tell  me 
which  of  the  two  men  you  want  to  be  iike, 
Abraham  or  Lot. 

One  day  in  their  travels  they  came  to  a 
most  'ovely  piece  of  land.  It  was  gay  with 
flowers,  like  a  garden,  and  had  a  river  run- 
ning through  it  keeping  it  fresh  and  green. 
There  Abraham  and  Lot  pitched  their  tents. 
By  this  time  they  had  large  flocks  of  sheep 
and  goats  and  cows,  and  servants  to  take 
care  of  them.  The  servants  began  quarrel- 
ling among  themselves.  Abraham's  servants 
wanted  the  greenest  spots  for  feeding  their 
flocks  and  Lot's  servants  did  also  and  both 
wanted  the  best  places  in  the  river  for  giving 


The  Story  of  Abraham  35 

drink  to  their  animals.  When  Abraham  saw 
that  the  men  were  quarrelling  he  told  Lot 
that  they  had  better  divide  the  land  so  that 
their  flocks  and  servants  would  be  separated  : 
"  If  thou  wilt  take  the  left  hand  then  I  vill 
go  to  the  right,"  the  uncle  said ;  "  or  if  thou 
wilt  take  the  right  hand  then  I  will  go  to  the 
1(  ft."  Abraham  was  much  older  than  his 
nephew  and  had  always  been  very  kind  to 
him,  and  Lot  should  have  given  his  uncle 
the  first  choice.  Do  you  think  he  did  ?  No, 
he  chose  the  whole  lovely  piece  of  land  which 
was  like  a  garden  with  the  river  running 
through  it  for  himself.  Abraham  was  so 
generous  that  he  let  him  keep  it ;  anr  then 
Abraham  travelled  with  his  wife  and  serv- 
ants and  flocks  towards  the  mountains,  where 
they  pitched  their  tents  and  built  an  altar. 

One  day  when  Abraham  was  standing  at 
the  door  of  his  tent  he  saw  a  man  coming 
towards  him  whose  clothing  was  torn  and 
dusty,  and  whose  face  was  white  with  weari- 
ness and  fear.  He  fell  at  Abraham's  feet, 
and  told  him  in  gasps  that  Lot  and  all  his 
friends  who  lived  in  the  lovely  valley  had 
been  beaten  in  a  battle  aga?  >t  four  kings 


I] 

m 


36  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

The  kings  had  killed  many  of  Lot's  friends, 
and  the  rest  of  them,  with  9"  the  gold  and 
silver  and  flocks  which  they  owned,  they  had 
carried  away.  Among  the  prisoners  was  Lot. 
The  poor  man  who  told  the  story  had  been 
taken  prisoner  too,  but  had  managed  to  run 
away. 

As  soon  as  Abraham  learned  this  news 
he  called  his  servants  together,  and  giving 
them  swords  and  bows  and  arrows  he  led 
them    hastily  after    the    four   kings.     Then 
in    the   darkness    of   the    night    Abraham's 
servants    made   a    great  circle  around   the 
army  of  the   four  kings.     While  the  army 
slept  Abraham's  men  fell  upon  them,  and 
when  they  woke  and  tried  to  run  away  they 
were  surrounded  and  beaten.     In  the  centre 
of  the  camp   Abraham  found  Lot  and  his 
friends  who  had  been  made  prisoners,  and  he 
freed  them  aU,  giving  them  back  the  gold  and 
silver  and  flocks  which  the  kings  had  stolen. 
Was  that  not  a  splendid  way  for  Abraham 
to  treat  Lot  who  had  been  so  mean  to  him  ? 
Abraham  did  not  do  it  with  any  hope  of  a 
reward;  he  knew  that  Lot  wculd  probably 
never  even  say  "  thank  you,"  but  Abraham 


The  Story  of  Abraham  37 

was  rewarded.  God  was  watching  him  and 
the  night  that  Abraham  returned  to  his  own 
tent  God  spoke  to  him  beside  the  altar.  He 
said:  "Fear  not,  Abraham,  I  am  thy  ex- 
ceeding great  reward." 

Then  ^fter  a  time  God  sent  Abraham  and 
Sarah  a  little  son.     He  was  their  first  baby 
and  they  had  longed  for  a  baby  boy  more 
than  for  anything  else  in  the  world.     That 
was  the  greatest  reward  for  their  generous 
lives  they  could  have  had.     They  named  him 
Isaac,   which    means   "to    laugh,"   because 
Sarah  in  her  great  happiness  cried,  "God 
has  made  me  laugh  so  that  all  who  hear  will 
laugh  with   me."     And   as  Abraham   loved 
and  trusted  God  so  Isaac  loved  and  trusted 
his  father;  in  all  the  stories  of  fathers  and 
sons  throughout  the  world  there  has  never 
been  one  who  obeyed  his  fa*^her  more  per- 
fectly than  Isaac  did  Abraham. 

As  the  years  passed  Lot  grew  more  wicked 
and  miserable,  but  Abraham's  life  was  very 
happy.  He  had  children  and  grandchildren 
and  great-grandchildren  and  at  last  in  the 
long  line  of  Abraham's  family  was  born  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 


n 


ssmssme: 


m 


r"      ^^=^ 


VI 

Rebekah  at  the  Well 

Genesis  24 

YEARS  ago,  before  there  were  steam 
cars,  or  ferry-boats,  how  did  people 
travel?  On  horses  or  donkeys,  or 
camels.  Perhaps  you  have  seen  camels  in 
the  park.  They  are  better  than  horses  or 
donkeys  to  travel  with,  because  they  can  go 
a  long  time  without  eating  or  drinking. 
They  can  eat  and  drink  a  great  deal  at  one 
time,  and  then  travel  on  that  for  many  days. 
I  am  going  to  tell  you  about  two  men  who 
took  long  journeys  with  camels. 

One  of  them  was  a  man  who  left  his  home 
and  travelled  over  miles  and  miles  of  desert 
to  a  far  country,  because  God  had  told  him 
to.  He  made  his  home  in  that  strange  coun- 
try and  there  his  littie  boy  was  born.  Do 
you  remember  the  story  about  Abraham  and 
his  boy  Isaac  ? 

The  m.an  who  travelled  with  his  camels  all 
38 


Rebekah  at  the  Well 


39 


the  miles  away  from  home  and  friends  was 
Abraham,  and  Isaac  was  his  little  boy.  After 
a  while  Isaac  grew  up,  and  what  does  every 
boy  want  when  he  grows  up  ?  He  wants  to 
have  a  home  of  his  own,  with  a  wife  and 
children  to  work  for.  So  Isaac  wanted  a 
wife,  and  his  father  wished  him  to  choose 
a  daughter  of  one  of  his  father's  friends  in 
hii  old  home. 

So  Abraham  called  his  servant,  and  told 
him  to  take  ten  camels  and  travel  back  over 
those  miles  of  desert,  and  there  choose  a  wife 
for  his  boy.  The  servant  took  ten  camels, 
and  Abraham  had  them  laden  with  gold  and 
silver  and  beautiful  clothes  to  give  to  the 
maiden  who  would  leave  her  home  and  come 
back  to  be  his  son's  wife. 

Then  the  servant  started  on  his  long  jour- 
ney. At  last  the  desert  was  crossed,  and  one 
evening  he  reached  the  city  where  Abraham 
used  to  live.  Outside  of  it  was  a  well,  and 
there  the  girls  and  women  came  every  day 
at  sunset  to  draw  water.  The  servant  meant 
to  ask  one  of  them  to  be  his  young  master's 
wife,  but  how  do  you  suppose  he  knew  whom 
to  choose  ?    Do  you  think  he  chose  the  most 


IWiPW^P""^^")B«"W^BMP^'*" 


•■■r 


40  "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story- 

beautiful,  or  the  one  with  the  prettiest 
clothes  ?  No,  ho  had  a  better  plan  than  that 
for  finding  out  who  would  make  a  good  wife. 

He  made  his  camels  kneel  down  near  the 
well.  They  were  tired  and  thirsty,  and  so 
was  he.  He  leaned  on  his  staff  and  watched 
the  maidens  and  the  women  come  one  by 
one  to  the  well,  let  a  bucket  down  into  it, 
draw  up  the  water  and  (ill  their  pitchers. 
Then  the  servant  prayed.  He  asked  God  to 
help  him  choose  a  good  wife  for  his  young 
master.  He  said :  "  Behold  I  stand  by  the 
fountain  of  water,  and  the  daughters  of  the 
men  of  the  city  come  out  to  draw  water.  Let 
it  con  to  pass  that  the  maiden  to  whom  I 
shall  say,  '  Let  down  thy  pitcher,  I  pray  thee, 
that  I  may  drink,'  and  she  shall  say,  '  Drink, 
and  I  will  give  thy  camels  drink  also ' ;  let 
her  be  the  one  Thou  hast  chosen  for  Thy 
servant  Isaac." 

As  he  finished  praying  he  looked  up  and 
saw  a  maiden  named  RebekpJi  come  out  of 
the  city  and  walk  towards  the  well,  with  a 
pitciier  on  her  shoulder. 

She  looked  very  sweet  and  lovely  as  she 
went  down  to  the  well  and  filled  her  pitcher. 


mwitmmrw- 


in 


REBFXCA  AT  THE  WELL 


J*-^ 


Rcbi-kah  at  tnc  Well 


4* 


The  sen'ant  mn  to  meet  her.  "  Give  me  a 
little  writer  to  drink,  I  pray  thee,"  he  said. 
She  answered  :  '•  Drink,  my  lord,"  and  at 
once  she  lifted  the  pitcher  down  from  her 
shoulder  and  gave  him  a  drink. 

When  he  had  finished  she  looked  at  the 
tired,  thirsty  camels  and  sa  J,  "I  will  draw 
water  for  thy  camels  also."  So  she  emptied 
her  pitcher  into  a  trough  before  the  camels 
and  ran  again  to  the  well  to  draw  more  water 
for  them.  They  must  have  wanted  a  great 
deal  of  water,  for  it  was  a  long  time  since 
they  had  had  any,  and  Rebekah  went  back 
and  forth  from  the  well  to  the  trough  until 
they  had  had  enough. 

The  servant  watched  her  without  speaking 
until  the  camels  had  finished  drinking.  Then 
he  gave  her  a  golden  earring,  and  two  gold 
bracelets,  from  the  box  of  treasures  Abraham 
had  sent  to  the  maiden  he  should  choose  for 
Isaac,  and  asked  her  if  there  were  room  in  her 
father's  house  for  him  to  spend  the  night. 

Again  she  showed  how  kind  she  was,  for 
she  answered :  "  We  have  both  room  and 
food  enough  for  you  and  the  camels."  So 
the  servant  knew  that  God  had  helped  him 


i 


imm 


tmm 


42  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

and  sent  him  to  a  maiden  who  was  as  good 
and  kind  as  she  was  beautiful. 

He  went  to  Rebelcah's  house  and  told  her 
family  what  he  had  come  for.  He  found 
that  they  had  known  Abraham  years  before, 
when  he  had  lived  in  that  country,  and  they 
were  glad  to  hear  about  his  journey  to  the 
far-away  land  and  of  his  home  there.  Then 
they  called  Rebekah  and  asked  her  if  she 
would  go  with  the  servant  to  be  Isaac's  wife, 
and  she  said,  "  I  will  go." 

She  was  brave,  was  she  not,  to  be  willing 
to  take  that  long  journey  away  from  her 
home?  But  she  felt  sure  God  wanted  her  to 
go  to  Isaac,  and  that  was  why  she  said  at 
once,  "  I  will  go." 

She  rode  one  of  the  camels  for  days  and 
days  over  the  desert,  until  one  evening  they 
came  near  a  field  where  a  man  was  walking 
alone.  Who  do  you  think  it  was  ?  It  was 
Isaac.  He  lifted  his  eyes  and  saw  the  camels 
coming,  and  upon  one  of  them  the  beautiful 
woman  who  had  promised  to  be  his  wife. 

When  she  saw  Isaac  she  alighted  from  her 
camel  and  drew  her  soft  white  veil  all  around 
her ;  it  even  covered  her  face.    Then  Isaac 


Rebekah  at  the  Well 


43 


came  to  meet  her  and  took  her  to  his  moth- 
er's tent,  and  soon  after  that  they  were  mar- 
ried. They  loved  each  other  dearly  and 
were  always  very  happy  together. 


i 


i    I 


atm 


VII 

Jacob  and  the  Angels 

Genesis  2j,  2S 

WE    have  a  story  to-day  about  a 
grandchild,  a  boy  who  went  on  a 
long  journey  to  a  place  where  his 
grandfather  lived  when  he  was  a  boy.     Our 
last  story  was  about  journeys  with  camels, 
but    this    grandchild    did   not  travel   on  a 
camel,  he  walked  all  the  way.     He  travelled 
from  Abraham's  home  in  the  far-away  land  to 
the  country  where  his  grandfather  had  lived 
as  a  boy.     For  Abraham  was  the  grandfather, 
and  his  grandchild's  name  was  Jacob.     His 
mother  was  the  beautiful  Rebekah  I  told  you 
about,  who  was  so  kind  to  the  camels.     She 
had  two  boys,  Esau  and  Jacob. 

One  day  Esau,  who  was  the  elder,  had  a 
quarrel  with  Jacob.  Esau  had  something 
wonderful  which  he  did  not  care  much  for, 
and  which  Jacob  wanted  very  much.  So 
Jacob  bought  it  from  him,  for  a  bowl  of 
soup,  and  Esau  was  so  hungry  just  then 

44 


Jacob  and  the  Angels  45 

that  he  was  glad  to  sell  the  wonderful  gift  for 
something  to  eat.     It  was  fool'  h  of  him,  and 
when   he  had  eaten  the  soup  and  was  no 
longer  hungry,  he  was  sorry.     For  the  won- 
derful thing  he  had  sold  to  Jacob  meant  a 
great  deal ;  it  was  the  right  after  their  father 
died  to  take  his  place  and  own  all  his  lands 
and  flocks,  and  to  be  the  ruler  of  the  family. 
So  Esau  wanted  the  wonderful  gift  back 
again,  and  grew  angry  because  Jacob  would 
not  give  it  back,  and  wished  to  kill  Jacob. 
Then  their  mother  told  Jacob  to  leave  home 
and  go  on  a  long  journey,  to  the  lant.  where 
she  had  lived  when  she  was  a  girl,  the  land 
his  grandfather  came  from.    She  kissed  him 
good-bye,  and  his  father  gave  him  his  bless- 
ing.    The  blessing  was  part  of  the  wonder- 
ful gift  Jacob  had  bought  from  his  brother. 
Jacob  must  have  been  lonely  as  he  started  of!, 
travelling  by  himself  on  that  long  journey, 
leaving  his  home  and  friends  and  going  to  a 
place  where  he  did  not  know  any  one.    There 
was  not  even  a  camel  or  a  donkey  to  ride  on 
and  keep  him  company.     He  walked  all  that 
long  way,  alone.     But  there  was  some  one 
watching  him  and  taking  care  of  him.    Who 


46  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

was  it  ?  You  know  that  it  was  his  Father, 
God.  But  Jacob  did  not  understand  that 
He  was  sure  that  God  watched  over  his 
father  and  mother,  and  all  in  his  home ;  but 
he  did  not  know  that  God  was  with  him,  too, 
and  that  even  if  he  travelled  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  God  would  still  be  with  him. 

When  the  day  was  over  and  the  sun  had 
set,  Jacob  was  on  a  stony  hillside,  where  there 
were  no  trees  to  sleep  under,  and  no  soft  grass 
upon  which  to  lie  down.  He  took  one  of  the 
stones  for  his  pillow,  and  with  only  the  starry 
sky  above  him  fell  asleep.  Then  a  beauti- 
ful dream  came  to  him.  The  stony  hillside 
was  not  lonely  and  forlorn  any  more.  For  in 
the  dream  a  ladder  was  set  up  on  the  earth, 
and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven,  and  up 
and  down  that  ladder  came  beautiful,  shining 
angels  of  God.  Above  them  stood  God,  and 
said : 

"  Behold  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee 
in  all  places  whither  thou  goest" 

Wasn't  that  a  wonderful,  happy  dream? 
Jacob  woke  up  and  said,  "  Surely  the  Lord  is 
in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not.  This  is  the 
house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." 


!^ 


i  i 


Jacob  and  the  Angels  47 

Then  early  in  the  morning,  as  soon  as  it 
began  to  grow  light,  Jacob  got  up  and  knelt 
beside  the  stone  he  had  used  for  a  pillow. 
There  he  prayed  to  God,  who  he  knew  now 
was   near  him,   promising  to  stop  at  this 
same  place  when  he  came  back  from  his  long 
journey.    And  on  that  stone  he  promised  to 
build  a  church  in  which  all  travellers  could 
stop  and  learn  that  God  was  as  close  to  them 
in  that  lonely  place  as  in  their  own  homes, 
and  that  He  would  be  with  them  always 
wherever  they  went. 


-3<»«*« 


•mm 


Joseph 


VIII 
the  Dreamer 

Genesis  j^ :  /-// 

ONCE  there  lived  an  old  man  who  had 
twelve   sons.     They  lived  very  far 
away  from  here,  where  there  were 
no  stree::s  nor  houses.     It  was  all  country, 
mountains  and  fields,  or  plains  as  they  are 
called. 

On  those  plains  this  old  man,  Jacob,  and 
his  sons  lived.  They  slept  in  tents,  when 
they  were  at  home.  But  often  their  father 
sent  them  to  work  in  the  corn-fields,  or  to 
take  the  sheep  far  away  where  the  grass  was 
green,  and  then  they  just  slept  out-of-doors 
on  their  cloaks.  Ten  of  these  boys  were  big 
and  strong ;  they  worked  hard  all  day  and 
slept  soundly  all  night,  and  did  not  bother 
much  about  any  one  else  as  long  as  they 
were  warm  and  comfortable,  and  had  enough 
to  eat. 

One  was  only  a  very  little  boy  ;  his  name 
was  Benjamin,  and  he  was  too  small  to  go 

48 


i  i 

',      * 


Joseph  the  Dreamer  49 

off  and  do  anything  in  the  com-fielos,  or  to 
feed  the  flocks,  with  his  brothers.  He  stayed 
at  home  with  his  father. 

The  twelfth  son,  Joseph,  was  older  than  lit- 
tle Benjamin,  but  younger  than  the  others, 
and  different  from  them.  He  liked  to  go  of! 
by  himself  and  dream  about  what  he  wai 
going  to  do  when  he  grew  up.  He  likec 
that  better  than  eating  a  big  dinn.  /and  going 
to  sleep.  So  his  brothers  thought  he  was 
very  queer,  and  laughed  at  him.  Sometimes 
he  told  his  father  what  the  boys  had  said  to 
him,  and  that  made  them  angry.  But  the 
father  loved  Joseph  more  than  all  his  sons. 
He  made  him  a  beautiful  coat  to  wear,  a  coat 
of  many  colours.  When  the  big  brothers 
saw  that,  they  hated  Joseph  and  would  not 
speak  kindly  to  him  nor  say  "  Peace,"  when 
they  met,  which  is  what  people  always  said 
in  that  country,  if  they  were  polite. 

Well,  one  day  all  the  sons,  except  Benja- 
min, went  to  the  corn-fiel  's  to  out  down  the 
ripe  yellow  corn.  All  tlie  morning  they 
worked  cutting  it  down,  and  then  binding  it 
into  bundles,  which  we  call  sheaves.  It  was 
hot  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  the  young 


-**«tr- 


50  "Tell  Me  a  True  Sto.7" 

men  were  tired,  so  after  dinner  they  lay  down 
and  went  to  sleep.    Joseph  lay  down  too,  but 
he  did  not  go  to  sleep  at  once.     He  was  won- 
dering what  he  would  do  when  he  grew  great 
and   powerful,  as   he  meant  to.     While  he 
wondered,  with  his  eyes  half  closed,  he  looked 
at  the  sheaves  of  corn,  tied  up  and  shining  in 
the  sun.     There  were  twelve  of  them,  eleven 
big  ones  and  one  little  one.     "  Those  are  like 
my  brothers,"  he  thought ;  "  the  litUe  one  is 
Benjamin's  sheaf,   and   the  one  off  in   the 
comer,  away  from  the  others,  is  mine." 

Then  he  grew  a  litde  sleepy,  as  he  lay  in 
the  heat  and  looked  at  the  sheaves,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  that  they  began  to  move  I 
They  moved  until  his  sheaf  was  standing  up 
straight  in  the  middle  and  all  the  others  were 
standing  around  it.  Then  they  began  to 
bow ;  only  his  sheaf  stood  up  straight  and 
stiff,  like  a  king,  while  all  the  "brother" 
sheaves  bowed  low  to  it. 

When  the  brothers  woke  up  Joseph  told 
them  what  he  had  dreamed,  how  his  sheaf 
stood  upright  and  their  sheaves  stood  round 
about  and  bowed  to  it.  They  did  not  like 
that     "Shalt  thou  indeed  reign  over  us?" 


Joseph  the  Dreamer 


5» 


they  said ;  and  they  hated  him  more  than 
ever. 

Another  day  the  eleven  brothers  went  out 
with  the  sheep.  They  had  to  take  them  so 
far,  before  they  found  a  good  feeding  place, 
that  they  could  not  go  home  that  night. 
After  supper  they  lay  down  on  their  cloaks 
and  went  to  sleep.  At  least  all  but  Joseph 
went  to  sleep  ;  he  lay  quietly  on  the  ground 
watching  the  sun  set  and  the  stars  come  out. 
There  was  a  little  moon  too  that  night,  which 
grew  bright  in  the  sky,  while  the  sun  went 
down  in  the  west,  and  the  stars  began  to 
twinkle. 

"That  big  sun  is  like  my  father,"  he 
thought,  "and  the  lovely  moon  is  my 
mother,  and  those  eleven  stars  are  my 
brothers ;  Benjamin  is  the  littlest  bright  one." 

He  grew  drowsy  watching  them  until  sud- 
denly it  seemed  as  if  the  sun,  and  the  moon, 
and  the  eleven  stars  all  began  bowing  to  him. 
That  was  a  wonderful  dream  1  He  told  his 
father  and  his  brothers  about  it  as  soon  as 
he  got  home.  His  father  was  surprised  and 
said  : 

"  What    is    this   dream    that    thou    hast 


li 


$2  "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

dreamed  ?  Shall  I  and  thy  mother,  and  thy 
brethren  indeed  come  to  bow  ouiiielves  to 
thee  to  the  earth  ?  "  The  brothers  were  dis- 
pleased, but  his  father  remembered  these 
dreams  and  wondered  if  they  would  come 
true,  and  if  his  boy  wa-  going  to  be  a  great 
man. 

Children   like  to  think  of  the  wonderful 
things   they   will    do  when  they  are    men 
and    women.      Some    of    them    are   going 
to  do  great  things,  and  it  is  fun  to  think 
about  them.     Boys  often  dream  of  being 
soldiers,  and  girls  often  think  how  beautiful 
it  would  be  to  be  real  mothers,  with  little 
live  babies,  instead  of  dolls,  to  take  care  of. 
It  is  more  fun  than  eating  or  sleeping  some- 
times, to  dream  of  what  we  are  going  to  be 
and  do.     There  is  only  one  thing  we  must 
remember.     Whether  our  dreams  come  tr  ; 
or  not,  our  lives  must  be  cheerful  and  k     J 
and  brave.    Joseph  was  a  good  dreamer  and 
some  of  his  dreams  did  come  true,  but  he 
was,  more  than  anything  else,  a  faithful  and 
splendid    man.     Next  time   I  will  tell  yo' 
about  some  of  the  »ioble  things  he  did. 


IX 


Joseph  Sold  by  His  Brothers 

Genesis  jj  :  12  to  end 

SOON  after  Joseph  had  dreamed  these 
dreams,  his  brothers  went,  without 
him,  to  feed  their  father's  sheep  and 
goats  in  a  quiet  place,  far  away  from  home. 
They  had  been  gone  several  days  when  their 
father  called  Joseph,  and  told  him  to  go  after 
his  brothers  and  see  if  it  were  well  with  them 
and  if  the  flocks  were  safe. 

So  Joseph  put  on  his  best  coat,  the  coat  of 
many  colours,  you  remember,  which  his  father 
had  made  for  him,  and  started.  When  he 
was  still  a  long  way  off  from  where  the 
brothers  were,  they  saw  him  coming.  I  sup 
^ose  they  saw  the  bright  colours  of  that 
beautiful  coat  long  before  they  could  have 
seen  the  boy  inside  of  it.  They  were  very 
mean,  those  brothers.  They  hated  Joseph 
because  their  father  had  given  him  that  coat, 
and  because  Joseph  had  dreamed  of  being  a 
great  man.     So   now,  when  they  saw  him 


thi 


«■■ 


54  •*T<M  Mc  a  True  Story" 

coming,  a  a  irked  thought  came  into  their 
minds ;  the)  .Planned  to  get  rid  ol  him,  to  kill 
him. 

reamer  ccmeth,"  one  said  ; 

i  kill  him  and  throw  him 

•'    will  say  some  wild  beast 

t  'len  we  shall  see  what  will 

.  nsl" 

rr-p'  p:,  >  ning  to  kill  one 

•"■  ''\)W   i/asitnot?    But  the 

:     --y  for  Joseph  and  said, 


"Behold  th" 
"  come  io ,     \  t 
into  a  pi  .  d  . !  , 
hath  cate»^  i.ii.. ; 
become  of  'lis  i!r 

Nine  hS^,  -  re 
boy  ;  that  "-v,:  t. 
eldest  broti^  r  wl 


"Let  us  nc)>  kill  '  i  oi'-. elves,  but  throw 
him  into  th'^  pit  and  leave  him."  He  meant, 
after  the  others  had  gone,  to  come  back  and 
pull  Joseph  out,  and  take  him  to  their  father. 
So  when  Joseph  reached  them  they  tore  his 
coat  from  him,  his  coat  of  many  colours,  and 
threw  him  into  a  deep  pit.  Then,  thinking 
their  brother  would  soon  die  for  want  of  food 
and  water,  they  themselves  sat  down  to  eat 
their  dinner.  While  they  were  eating  they 
heard  a  loud  jingling  of  bells,  and  'coking 
up  saw  a  lot  of  camels  coming,  on  which 
were  seated  men  and  women.  The  camels 
had  many  bells  hanging  upon  them  and  bags 
of  spices,  and  this  company  was  going  to  a 
southern  country,  Egypt,  to  sell  the  spices. 
Another  of  the  brothers  had  begun  to  fed 


I 


1 


I 


^ 
y 


2 

< 

< 

< 


Joseph  Sold  by  His  Brothers        55 

ashamed  of  what  they  had  done  with  Joseph, 
and  when  he  saw  this  procession  coming  he 
said: 

"What  good  will  it  do  if  we  kill  our 
brother?  Come,  let  us  sell  him  to  these 
people  and  let  not  our  hand  be  upon  him,  for 
he  is  our  brother  and  our  flesh." 

So  they  pulled  Joseph  out  of  the  pit,  and 
sold  him  to  the  men  with  the  camels,  for 
twenty  pieces  of  silver.  It  was  mean  to  sell 
him,  although  it  was  better  than  killing  him. 
But  then  they  did  a  heardess  thing.  They 
killed  one  of  their  goats,  and  taking  Joseph's 
beautiful  coat  they  dipped  it  into  the  blood. 
When  they  reached  home  they  brought  the 
coat,  the  coat  of  many  colours,  to  their  father 
and  said :  "  We  have  lound  this  coat ;  do  you 
know  whether  it  is  Joseph's  ?  " 

Their  father  did  know  it,  of  course,  and 
cried,  "  It  is  my  son's  coat ;  an  evil  beast  hath 
eaten  him.  Joseph  is  surely  torn  in  pieces  I " 
And  he  put  ashes  on  his  head,  and  tore  his 
clothes  and  wept,  and  no  one  could  comfort 
him.  But  even  then  the  brothers  did  not  tell 
him  that  it  was  a  lie,  and  that  Joseph  was 
really  alive  and  down  in  Egypt. 

In  the  next  story  I  will  tell  you  what  wai 
happening  to  him  there. 


I'l 


i\\ 


ill:' 


Joseph  the  Ruler 

Genesis  jp,  40,  //,  42:  /-j 

WHEN  the  men  with  the  camels,  who 
had  bought  Joseph  from  his  broth- 
ers, reached  Egypt,  they  sold  him 
to  a  rich  man.  This  man  was  an  officer  in  the 
king's  army,  who  lived  in  a  big  house  and 
had  many  servants  to  work  for  him.  He 
bought  Joseph  because  he  needed  another 
servant 

Suppose  you  were  taken  far  away  to  a 
strange  land,  where  no  one  knew  you  or 
cared  for  you,  and  sold  to  some  one.  I  am 
sure  you  would  not  feel  very  happy.  But 
Joseph  was  not  all  alone,  and  because  he 
never  forgot  that,  he  was  brave  and  cheer- 
;ul  even  in  that  strange  land,  and  did  his 
work  well.  As  the  Bible  says,  "The  Lord 
was  with  him."  When  his  rich  master  saw 
that,  he  made  Joseph  the  head  of  the  house, 
and  gave  him  charge  of  all  that  he  had. 

That  was  a  fine  place  for  Joseph.     But  one 
56 


Joseph  the  Ruler 


57 


1 

i 


f 


day  some  one  asked  him  to  do  something 
wrong-,  and  because  he  said,  "  No,"  he  was 
put  into  prison.  It  must  have  been  dark 
there,  and  crowded,  and  horrid.  If  you  and 
I  had  been  put  into  such  a  place  we  might 
have  been  angry  and  unhappy.  But  Joseph 
knew  that  the  same  dear  Friend  was  with 
him,  even  there.  So  he  was  happy  and 
bright  and  looked  around  for  some  one  to 
help.  There  were  lots  of  unhappy  prisoners 
there,  and  Joseph  helped  them  all.  Then 
when  the  keeper  of  the  prison  saw,  as  the 
rich  officer  had  seen,  that  the  Lord  was  with 
Joseph,  he  put  him  in  charge  of  the  whole 
prison  and  everybody  in  it.  The  prisoners 
must  have  been  glad  to  have  that  splendid, 
cheerful  Joseph  taking  care  of  them. 

Alter  a  time  one  of  the  prisoners  was  let 
out.  He  was  a  servant  of  the  king  and  he 
told  the  king  about  Joseph.  So  the  king 
sent  for  him,  and  when  he  saw,  as  the  rich 
officer  had  seen  and  the  keeper  of  the  prison 
had  seen,  that  God  was  with  Joseph,  he 
kept  him  in  his  palace.  He  took  his  ring 
off  his  hand  and  put  it  on  Joseph's  hand, 
and  dressed  him  in  fine,  soft  clothes,  and 


I 

if. 


58  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

put  a  gold  chain  around  his  neck.  Then  the 
king  gave  him  a  chariot  to  ride  in,  next  to 
his  own,  and  made  him  a  ruler  over  all  the 
land  of  Egypt. 

Several  years  passed,  and  a  great  famine 
came.  That  means  that  there  was  no  food 
and  the  people  were  hungry.  But  Joseph 
had  filled  big  barns  with  com,  and  when 
the  poor  people  came,  crying  for  bread,  he 
opened  the  barns  and  gave  them  food. 

But  far  away  from  Egypt  there  was  an 
old  man,  living  on  the  plains  with  his  eleven 
sons,  and  they  ;  ere  hungry.  For  the  famine 
was  there,  too.  You  know  who  they  were, 
Joseph's  father  and  brothers.  They  had  no 
food,  and  they  heard  that  down  in  Egypt 
there  was  corn.  So  ten  of  the  sons  took 
donkeys  and  started  for  Egypt  to  buy  food. 
The  eleventh  was  small  Benjamin,  and  his 
father  would  not  let  him  go.  He  was  afraid 
some  harm  might  come  to  the  boy,  and  kept 
him  at  home. 

We  must  wait  for  the  next  story  to  know 
what  happened  to  the  brothers  in  Joseph's 
palace  in  Egypt 


XI 

Joseph  Forgiving  His  Brothers 

Genesis  42,  43,  44,  43,  46,  47 : 1-12 

WHEN  I  shut  my  eyes  now  I  can  see 
a  picture.     If  you  will  shut  your 
eyes,    I   will    tell   you  what  the 
picture  is,  and  then  you  can  tell  me  of  whom 

It  IS. 

I  see  ten  donkeys,  in  a  line,  one  behind 
the  other.  There  is  a  man  on  the  back  of 
each  donkey,  and  every  man  has  an  empty 
sack,  hanging  at  the  saddle  in  front  of  him. 
The  men  look  thin  and  hungry,  as  if  they 
had  not  had  anything  to  eat  for  a  long  time. 
They  are  going  down  to  Egypt  to  buy  corn, 
because  there  is  none  in  their  own  country, 
and  they  and  their  families  are  hungry.  As 
they  ride  they  are  thinking  sadly  of  a  brother, 
whom  they  sold  years  ago  to  a  band  of  camel 
drivers,  who  were  also  going  down  to  Egypt. 
They  think  he  is  dead  and  that  they  will 
never  see  him  again, 

59 


6o 


"Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 


Now,  who  were  they  all,  the  riders  and 
the  lost  brother  ?    What  had  become  of  him  ? 

If  you  remember  ycu  will  know  that  when 
the  brothers  reached  Egypt,  and  were  taken 
to  the  ruler  who  sold  the  corn,  they  found 
that  he  was  their  own  brother  I 

But  at  first  they  did  not  know  that  this 
great  man  in  his  fine  clothes  was  the  boy  they 
had  sold  to  the  camel  drivers  so  many  years 
before.  When  they  came  into  the  large  room 
where  he  was,  they  bowed  down  to  the  earth 
before  him.  Then  Joseph  saw  them  and 
knew  who  they  were,  and  remembered  his 
dream.  Do  you  remember  it?  About  the 
sheaves  of  wheat,  and  the  stars,  bowing 
down  before  him?  His  dream  had  come 
true.  This  was  his  chance  if  he  wanted  to 
punish  those  brothers  who  had  treated  him  so 
cruelly.  They  were  hungry  now,  bowing  be- 
fore him  and  asking  for  food.  If  he  refused 
to  give  it  to  them  it  would  punish  them  for 
the  time  when  he,  a  boy,  had  begged  them, 
with  tears,  not  to  sell  him  to  the  camel 
drivers,  to  be  taken  away  from  his  father  and 
his  home. 

What  do  you  suppose  he  did  ?    Who  was 


Joseph  Forgiving  His  Brothers       6i 

with  him  always  ?  It  was  God,  and  when  we 
know  tliat  God  is  beside  us  we  cannot  be  un- 
fot  givinjf  or  mean,  we  just  have  to  be  good 
and  loving-. 

So  Joseph  forgave  his  brothers  and  fed 
them,  but  he  did  not  tell  them  yet  who 
he  was.  He  longed  to  see  Benjamin,  and 
told  the  older  brothers  to  bring  him  down 
with  them  when  they  came  again,  or  they 
could  have  no  more  corn.  Then  he  told  his 
servant  to  fill  his  brothers' sacks  with  corn,  and 
on  top  of  the  corn  to  put  back  the  money  they 
had  paid  for  it.  So  the  corn  was  a  present, 
you  see.  The  brothers  reached  home  after 
the  long  journey  and  told  their  father  about 
the  ruler,  who  had  given  them  the  com,  and 
who  wanted  to  see  their  brother  Benjamin. 

"  No,"  said  their  father.  "  My  son  Ben- 
jamin shall  not  go  down  with  you,  for  his 
brother  Joseph  is  dead,  and  he  is  left  alone. 
If  harm  came  to  him  by  the  way,  then  would 
you  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow 
to  the  grave." 

But  soon  the  corn  they  had  brought  was 
all  gone  and  once  more  they  began  to  be 
very  hungry.     Some  of  the   brothers  were 


62 


"Tell  Mc  a  True  Story** 


married,  and  their  babies  were  crying  for 
food.  Then  they  begged  their  father  to  let 
Benjamin  go  with  them,  and  at  last  he 
yielded  and  told  them  to  take  the  boy  and 
to  carry  presents  to  the  ruler,  fruit  and 
honey  and  nuts,  and  :  "  God  Almighty  give 
you  mercy  before  the  man,"  he  said. 

So  again  they  travelled  with  the  donkeys 
to  Egypt,  and  went  to  Joseph's  house. 
When  he  came  in  he  found  them  waiting  for 
him,  and  they  gave  him  the  presents  and 
bowed  to  the  earth  before  him. 

"  Is  your  father  well  ? '  he  asked,  '*  the  old 
man  of  whom  you  spoke,  is  he  yet  alive  ? " 
And  they  said :  "  Our  father  is  in  good 
health,  he  is  yet  alive."  And  they  bowed 
again. 

Then  Joseph  looked  at  them  all,  and  when 
he  saw  Benjamin,  he  could  bear  it  no  longer. 
The  tears  streamed  down  his  face  and  he 
said :  "  I  am  Joseph,  your  brother,  whom 
you  sold  into  Egypt."  His  brothers  were 
frightened  ;  they  could  not  answer  him.  But 
he  put  his  arms  around  ^'leir  necks,  and 
kissed  them  and  cried  with  them,  until  they 
understood  that  he  loved  and  forgave  them. 


f 


Joseph  Forgiving  His  Brothers       63 

He  told  them  that  tlicy  must  hurrj-  home  and 
get  tlieir  father  whom  he  was  longing-  to  see, 
and  bring  the  dear  old  man  to  Egypt.  And 
there  they  must  live,  they  and  their  wives 
and  their  children,  and  the  best  of  the  land 
should  be  theirs. 

So  they  went  home  and  told  their  father 
the  great  news,  that  Joseph  was  alive.  Oh, 
how  joyful  he  must  have  been  1 

"  It  is  enough,"  he  said.  "Joseph  my  son 
is  yet  alive ;  I  will  go  and  see  him  before  I 
die." 

So  all  together  they  went  to  Egj-pt,  and 
lived  in  a  beautiful  house  which  Joseph  gave 
them.  There  he  took  care  of  them,  and  was 
with  his  dear  father  undl  the  old  man  died, 
happily  and  peacefully,  because  he  was  with 
his  beloved  son,  Joseph. 


if 


II 


i, 


^•'  'J^ 


an 


XII 

The  Baby  Boy  Moses 

Exodus  2 :  i-io 

ONCE  there  was  a  wicked  king,  win 
wanted  his  whole  countrj'  for  him 
self;  he  did  not  want  any  strangers 
to  come  there.  But  there  were  sinne  stran- 
gers living  there,  who  were  called  Hebrews 
They  were  splendid  people,  who  loved  Gcid 
and  tried  to  be  good.  Still  the  king  did  not 
want  them  in  his  country,  and  planned  how 
to  get  rid  of  them. 

First,  he  made  them  work  ver}'  hard. 
They  had  to  make  bricks  and  caiiy  heavy 
loads  in  the  hot  sun  ;  he  thought  that  would 
kill  them.  But  they  were  strong  people,  ar.d 
the  hard  work  did  not  kill  them  ;  there  were 
more  and  more  of  them,  men  and  women, 
boys  and  girls  and  babies. 

Then  the  king  tried  another  plan.  He 
said  that  every  baby  boy  born  to  the  Hebrew 
mothers  should  be  thrown  into  the  river. 
The  girls  might  be  left  alive,  but  all  the  boys 
should  be  drowned. 


i 


The  Baby  Boy  Moecs 


65 


Just  after  the  kiiij,'  nridc  this  wicked  law, 
a  Hebrew  woman  had  a  bjiby  b-jy.     He  was 
a  beautiful,  stronj^  baby,  and  she  loved  him 
dearly.     She  made   up   he/  mind   that  the 
king  should  not  take  him  from  her,  and  she 
prayed    God    to    help   her  keep  him  safe 
Then  what  do  you  suppose  she  did  ?    She 
hid  him.     She  kept  him  in  a  back  room,  per- 
haps behind  closed  doors  and  windows.    His 
cry  was  so  small,  that  it  wa.^    hard  for  any 
one  to  hear  it,  or  if  any  one  did,  perhaps  he 
thought  it  was  a  kitten  mewing.     But  after 
a  while  the  baby,  Moses  was  his  name,  grew, 
and  then  his  cry  was  louder,  and  sometimes 
he  laughed  and  crowed  quite  noisily,  and  his 
mother  was  afraid  some  one  would  hear  him 
and  tell  the  king  she  had  a  baby  son,  and 
then  the  king  would  send  men  to  take  him 
from    her.     So    she    made   a   brisket.     She 
wove  tall   grass,    rushes  we   call   them,  and 
when  the  bas'iet  was  finished  she  painted  it, 
so  that  no  water  could  get  in,  and  it  would 
be  warm  and  dry  inside,  and  into  it  she  put 
the  baby  boy. 

Moses  had  a  sister,  older  than  he,  named 
Miriam.     She  helped  her  mother  make  the 


'di 


m 


•   ilTiifr  iJttft 


6(. 


Tell  Mc  a  True  Story' 


(I 


III 


basket  and  watched  her  put  the  oaby  in  and 
cover  hin;  up.  All  the  time  I  am  sure  the 
mother  was  praying  God  to  take  care  of  her 
little  son  and  not  to  let  any  harm  come  to 
him.  Then  etirly  in  the  morning  she  and 
Miriam  took  the  basket  down  to  the  river, 
and  in  the  water  near  the  bank,  among  the 
tall  grasses  growing  there,  they  laid  it,  with 
tiny  Moses  still  inside.  Miriam  was  left  to 
watch  it.  She  stood  a  little  way  off  to  see 
what  would  happen.  After  a  while  the  king's 
daughter,  the  princess,  came  down  to  the 
river  to  go  in  bathing.  She  was  walking 
along  by  the  riverside,  with  her  ladies-in- 
waiting,  when  she  saw  a  littie  basket  lying 
among  the  tall  grass  in  the  water.  What 
could  be  in  it?  she  wondered,  and  she  sent 
her  maid  to  bring  it  to  her.  But  when  she 
opened  it,  what  did  she  find  inside  ?  Yes,  0 
litde  baby,  a  baby  who,  when  he  saw  the 
strange  faces,  began  to  cry.  Then  the  prin- 
cess took  him  in  her  arms ;  she  was  so  sorry 
for  him,  and  she  said,  "  Surely  this  must  be 
one  of  the  Hebrews'  children.  I  will  keep  him 
for  my  own." 

Miriam,  who  had  been  watching  all  this 


;l 


u^ 


THE  FINDING  OF  MOSES 


r"*"i^iBiTl'l'l°'"''''"^^™ 


li 


The  Baby  Boy  Moses 


67 


time  to  see  that  no  harm  came  to  her  baby 
brother,  now  came  up  to  the  princess  and 
bowed  low  before  her,  saying,  ••  Shall  I  go 
and  call  one  of  the  Hebrew  women  to  be  a 
nurse  to  the  baby  for  you?"  The  princess 
said,  "  Go." 

The  little  girl  went,  and  whom  do  you 
suppose  she  called  to  be  a  nurse  for  baby 
Moses  ?  His  own  mother,  though  the  prin- 
cess did  not  know  it;  but  I  think  Moses 
knew,  don't  you  ?  And  I  think  he  just  cud- 
dled down  in  her  arms  and  went  happily  to 
sleep  there,  after  all  his  adventures.  And 
his  mother  nursed  him  and  cared  for  him, 
and  when  he  was  bigger  he  lived  in  the 
palace  of  the  princess,  and  she  treated  him 
as  her  son. 

So  the  prpyer  the  mother  made  to  God  to 
take  care  of  her  baby  was  answered  ;  he  was 
not  hurt  by  the  wicked  king,  and  grew  up  to 
be  a  great  and  good  man. 


SI 

m 


ii 


a 


XIII 

Moses  the  Leader 

Exodus  J  ;  J 2  :  34-39  !  '3  •'  20-22 

YOU  have  sometimes  played  Fdlovi 
the  Leader,  have  you  not  ? 
Suppose  you  had  to  travel  through 
dark  woods,  and  over  deserts,  and  your 
leader  had  never  been  there  before.  He 
would  go  to  some  one  who  had  been  there, 
and  knew  the  best  paths,  and  he  would  ask 
him  to  tell  him— tell  him  what?  Yes,  tell 
him  the  way  to  go.  And  when  he  was  lead- 
ing the  others  through  dark  woods,  or  trav- 
elling at  night,  he  would  need  something  to 
make  him  able  to  see  the  path.  What  would 
he  need  ?  A  light.  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
about  a  man  named  Moses,  who  was  a  leader, 
one  of  the  greatest  who  ever  lived,  and  when 
I  have  finished  you  must  tell  me  who  showed 
Moses  the  way  to  lead  his  followers,  and  what 
he  had  for  a  light. 

In  a  countr)'  far  away  from  their  home 

many   people  were   living,  weary  and  sad 

68 


I  « 


Moses  the  Leader 


69 


The  wicked  kinjj  of  that  country  made  them 
work  so  hard  that  sometimes  tliey  just  fell 
dovn  while  they  were  working,  they  were  so 
tired,  and  then  they  were  beaten  to  make 
them  work  again.  Now  these  people  knew 
that  there  was  a  King  in  heaven,  nmch 
greater  than  this  wicked  one,  and  every  day 
they  cried  to  Him  to  help  them.  Who  was 
that  Heavenly  King?  Do  you  ♦hink  He 
heard  their  cry?  Listen,  and  you  will  hear 
what  God  did  for  them. 

Moses,  whose  mother  hid  him  when  he 
was  a  baby  and  whom  the  princess  took 
care  of,  was  one  of  these  people.  After  many 
years  he  became  a  shepherd.  As  he  led  his 
sheep  up  a  mountain  one  day  he  saw  a  hush 
burning ;  flames  of  fire  came  from  it  and  yet 
it  was  not  burnt  up.  He  turned  aside  to 
see  so  wonderful  a  sight,  a  bush  on  fire 
and  yet  not  burnt,  and,  as  he  turned,  God 
called  to  him  out  of  the  midsr  of  the  burning 
bush  saying,  "  Moses,  Moses."  Moses  an- 
swered :    "  Here  am  I." 

Then  God  said,  "  Put  off  thy  shoes  from 
off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou 
Btandest  is  holy  ground." 


t\ 


70  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

So  Moses  t(X)k  them  o(T  and  hid  his  face,  for 
he  was  afraid ;  he  was  standing  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God  1 

Then  God  said :  "  I  have  surely  seen  the 
suffering  of  my  people  and  have  heard  their 
cry,  for  I  know  their  sorrows.  And  I  have 
come  down  to  take  them  out  of  the  land  of 
the  wicked  king,  and  to  bring  them  unto  a 
good  land  and  a  large,  unto  a  land  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey." 

And  God  told  Moses  that  He  would  send 
him  to  lead  the  people  to  this  new,  beautiful 
land.  At  first  Moses  was  afraid  to  be  a 
leader  ;  he  did  not  think  he  was  brave  enough 
or  strong  enough,  but  God  said,  "  Certainly 
I  will  be  with  thee."  So  Moses  was  brave 
again  and  went  back  to  the  people,  and  when 
he  told  them  what  had  happened,  that  God 
had  heard  their  cry  to  come  and  help  them, 
they  bowed  their  heads  and  praised  Him. 

Then  one  night,  when  it  was  all  dark, 
Moses  led  his  people  out  of  the  country 
of  the  wicked  king.  Some  of  the  women 
had  made  bread  that  evening,  and  had  put 
it  in  pans  to  raise,  meaning  to  bake  it  in 
the  morning      But  they  could  not  wait,  and 


Moses  the  Leader 


7> 


bound  the  pans  full  of  dough  in  their  clothes 
and  carried  them  over  their  shoulders.  The 
men  led  their  goats  and  sheep,  the  women 
carried  sleeping  babies  in  their  arms,  and  the 
boys  and  girls  helped.  All  carried  some- 
thing, for  they  were  hurrying  away  to  a  new 
land,  and  never  meant  to  go  back  to  the 
country  of  the  cruel  king. 

How  do  you  suppose  Moses  knew  the  way 
to  lead  them?  He  had  to  have  some  one 
who  knew  the  path  to  show  him.  And  what 
must  he  have  had  to  show  his  followers 
the  way  in  the  dark?  Alight.  But  what  a 
big  light  it  would  have  to  be  to  show  the 
way  to  thousands  of  people  !  Brighter  than 
a  street  light,  or  an  automobile  lantern. 
Well,  it  was  brighter  than  many  electric 
lamps;  it  was  the  most  wonderful  kind  of 
light  you  can  think  of.  It  was  a  great,  high 
cloud,  which  at  night  turned  into  fire,  a  pillar 
of  fire  they  called  it,  and  it  was  so  big  and 
bright  that  it  gave  light  to  all  the  people. 

But  there  was  something  about  it  even 
mor«  wonderful  than  the  light  it  gave.  The 
angel  of  the  Lord  was  in  the  cloud,  and 
moved  always  ahead  of  them,  showing  then> 


I 


11 


72  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

the  way.  Across  the  desert,  over  mountains, 
through  woo.  s  and  rivers,  the  cloud  with  the 
angel  moved  on  ahead,  always  showing  them 
the  best  paths,  never  letting  them  lose  their 
way. 

Let  us  see  in  our  minds  how  they  travelled. 
First  the  great  cloud  moving  slowly  ahead 
of  them,  tall  and  dark  in  the  daytime,  bright 
and  shining  at  night.  Then  Moses,  in  long, 
flowing  clothes,  with  a  rod  in  his  hand,  lead- 
ing all  the  people,  who  followed  him  as  he 
followed  the  angel-cloud.  Behind  him 
marched  the  men  and  women,  the  boys  and 
girls  and  little  children,  and,  last  of  all,  be- 
hind the  women  and  children,  were  more  men 
driving  the  flocks,  the  sheep  and  goats,  and 
keeping  a  watch  at  the  back  to  see  that  no 
one  was  lost  or  left  behind  in  the  march. 

Over  all  God  watched  and  took  care  of 
them,  and  just  as  He  heard  their  cry  and 
came  to  help  them,  so  He  hears  us  when  we 
pray  to  Him,  and  watches  over  us,  day  and 
night.  We  do  not  see  a  shining  cloud  with 
God's  angel  leading  us,  but  God  Himself  sees 
us  always,  and  loves  us,  and  takes  care  of  us. 
So  we  need  never  be  afraid,  even  if  we  lose 


Moses  the  Leader 


73 


our  way  sometimes.  Even  if  we  are  alone  in 
the  dark  night,  our  He;i\('uly  Father  is  with 
us,  and  no  harm  can  come  to  us  while  we 
trust  Him  as  our  Leader. 

Next  time  I  will  tell  you  about  something 
which  happened  at  the  beginning  of  the 
journey 


XIV 

The  Red  Sea 

Exodus  14:  J  to  end;  /j  .•  r-22 

WHEN  the  wicked  king  found  that 
Moses  had  led  the  people  out 
of  his  country  he  was  very  angry, 
and  called  at  once  for  his  soldiers,  and  his 
chariots,  hundreds  of  them.  Then  as  fast  as 
possible  they  hurried  after  Moses  and  his  fol- 
lowers. 

Those  poor  people  had  no  horses  nor  char- 
iots, and  in  a  short  time  the  king  overtook 
them.  They  had  been  marching  on  happily 
following  the  cloud  and  fire  God  had  sent  to 
guide  them,  thankful  to  leave  the  country  of 
that  bad  king.  Suddenly  they  heard  a  noise 
behind  them,  and  looking  back  they  saw  in 
the  distance  the  shining  chariots  of  the  king. 
Oh,  how  frightened  they  were !  They  ran 
about  wildly  and  cried  to  Moses :  "  Why  hast 
thou  taken  us  away  to  die  in  the  wilderness? 
It  wou)d  have  been  better  to  stay  in  the  land 
of  the  wicked  king  than  to  have  died  here ! " 
But  Moses  was  not  afraid.     "  Fear  not,  stand 

74 


The  Red  Sea 


75 


ye  still,"  said  he.    "The  Lord  shall  fight  for 
you,  and  ye  shall  hold  your  peace." 

The  chariots  of  the  king  were  coming 
nearer  and  nearer,  but  suddetily  the  cloud 
with  the  angel  of  God,  which  went  before  the 
people,  moved,  and  went  behind  them,  stand- 
ing between  them  and  the  army  of  the  king. 

As  night  fell  the  cloud  became  a  bright 
light  towards  Moses  and  his  follower,  but  on 
the  side  facing  the  king  it  was  a  cloud  of 
darknosb,  through  which  no  one  could  see.  It 
was  like  a  thick  fog,  and  the  soldiers  stumbled 
and  fell  when  they  tried  to  march  through  it, 
so  the  whole  army  had  to  stand  still. 

In  front  of  Moses  and  his  followers  stretched 
a  sea,  the  Red  Sea  it  was  called.  They  had 
no  boats  in  which  to  cross  it,  and  with  the 
army  behind  them  and  the  sea  in  front,  th«  re 
seemed  to  be  every  chance  ot  their  being 
caught.  But  God  was  on  their  side,  and  one 
man  with  God  helping  him  is  stronger  than 
a  thousand  men  without  Him. 

This  is  what  God  did  for  His  people  that 
night.  He  sent  a  strong  east  wind,  and  it 
blew  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  all  nightlong, 
so   that  when  the  morning  came  the  sea  was 


tf 


hJUCL. 


76  "  Tell  Me  a   True  Story  " 

divided,  and  between  the  two  parts  of  water 
the  people  saw  a  path  of  dry  land,  stretch- 
ing all  the*  way  across  the  sea,  to  the  other  side. 
Over  the  path  they  hurried,  and  behind  them 
came  the  many  chariots  of  tlie  wicked  king, 
for  it  was  light  then,  and  they  could  see  the 
men  aliead  of  them.     At  last  M"Sf*s  and  his 
people,    men,    women    and    li'    e    children, 
reached  the  other  side  in  safety,  »nd  behind 
them  plunged  the  chariot  horses.     The  wheels 
of  those  heavy  chariots  stuck  in  the  mud  and 
came  off,  so  the  army  could  not  iravel  fast, 
but  soon  a  worse  thing  than  that  happened 
to  them.     God  told  Moses  to  stretch  out  his 
hand  over  the  sea,  and  the  waters  would  roll 
back  again,  covering  the  cruel  soldiers  and 
their  horses  and  chariots.    So  Moses  stretched 
out  his  hand  and  the  waters  rolled  back  in 
great  waves,  covering  the  king,  the  soldiers 
and  the  horses,  so  that  they  were  all  drowned. 
That  is  the  story  of  how  God  saved  His 
people  that  day  from  the  hand  of  the  wicked 
king,  and  when  Moses  and  his  followers  saw 
it  they  trusted  God  as  they  had  never  done 
before,  and  sang  beautiful  songs  about  His 
glory  and  His  mercy. 


f 


XV 

Joihua  the  Soldier 

Puhua  J  .•  I J  to  end ;  6 :  j-20 

WHO  would  like  to  be  a  soldier? 
Show  me  how  a  soldier  stands, 
how  he  salutes,  how  he  holds  his 
gun  when  marching'  and  firing.  It  would  be 
splendid  to  be  a  real  soldier,  I  think.  To 
wear  a  blue  coat  and  brass  buttons,  to  carry 
a  gun  or  to  beat  a  drum,  and  to  do  the  fine 
brave  things  a  good  soldier  is  always  ready 
for.  There  was  a  splendid  soldier  once, 
named  Joshua.  He  was  such  a  good  soldier, 
so  obedient  and  brave,  that  he  was  given 
command  of  a  whole  army  while  he  was  still 
young. 

Do  you  know  what  the  commander  of  an 
army  is  called  ?  A  general.  So  Joshua  was 
a  general,  but  he  didn't  wear  a  blue  coat  or 
brass  buttons,  because  he  lived  thousands  of 
years  ago  in  a  country  far  away  from  here, 
and  the  soldiers  then  wore  loose,  brightly- 
coloured  clothes,  with  armour  over  them. 
That  means  a  shield  and  a  helmet,  and  pieces 

77 


Hi 


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(716)   288 -5989 -Fa, 


'-IS 


78 


"Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 


of  brass  on  their  arms  and  legs ;  they  did  not 
have  any  guns  either,  but  they  carried  swords 
and  used  them  to  fight  with. 

One  day  Joshua  was  standing  outside  of  a 
city  which  had  a  wall  around  it.  Inside  that 
wall  there  were  hundreds  of  men  who  hated 
Joshua,  and  he  was  trying  to  make  them 
come  out  and  fight  his  army.  But  they 
would  not  come  because  they  were  afraid, 
and  they  just  shut  up  their  city  gates  tightly 
and  would  let  no  one  come  in  or  go  out. 
There  did  not  seem  to  be  any  way  to  make 
them  fight,  for  the  city  walls  were  so  high 
that  no  one  could  climb  over  them  from  tha 

outside. 

Joshua  was  standing  there  wondering 
what  he  would  do.  As  he  looked  up  towards 
the  walls  he  saw  a  man  standing  near  him, 
whom  he  had  not  seen  a  moment  before. 
The  man  had  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  and 
Joshua  walked  swiftly  over  to  him  and  asked; 
••  Art  thou  for  us,  or  for  our  enemy?" 

The  man  answered,  "  Nay,  but  as  captain 
of  the  Host  of  the  Lord  am  I  now  come." 

Then  Joshua  knew  that  he  was  talking  to 
an  angel  of  God,  and  he  fell  on  his  face  to 


Joshua  the  Soldier 


79 


the  earth  and  said,  "  What  saith  my  Lord 
to  His  servant  ? "  He  was  a  great  general, 
you  know,  b  it  he  knew  that  an  angel  from 
God  was  far  greater  than  he  was. 

The  angel  said,  "  Loose  thy  shoe  from  of? 
thy  foot — for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest 
is  holy,"  and  Joshua  did  so. 

Then  the  angel  told  him  that  God  wanted 
him  to  have  that  city  and  all  the  men  in  it. 
He  told  him  how  to  take  it.  I  will  tell  you 
what  Joshua  did  the  next  day  and  then  you 
will  know  what  the  angel  said  to  him. 

There  were  some  ministers  called  priests 
in  Joshua's  army.     They  did  not  fight  but 
they  held  services  for  the  soldiers,  and  they 
were  to  help  Joshua  take  the  city.    Seven 
of  them  marched  out  of  the  camp  early  the 
next    morning.     They    wore    flowing   white 
clothes,  with  coloured  embroidery  and  little, 
tinkling,  golden  bells.     They  did  not  weaj 
any  armour,  or  carry  swords,   but    instead 
they  each   carried   a  trumpet      In   front  of 
them  and  behind  them  marched  the  soldiers, 
their  armour  shining  in  the  sun,  their  swords 
clanging  at  their  sides. 

All    marched  slowly  around    the   walled 


ll 


''f?B55S 


80  **Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

city,  and  as  they  marched  the  priests  blew 
on  their  trumpets.  Except  for  that  there  was 
no  noise,  and  nobody  spolcc  a  word.  V^/hen 
they  had  marched  all  the  way  around  they 
went  back  to  the  camp. 

The  second  day  the  same  thing  happened, 
and  the  people  inside  the  city   walls   must 
have   wondered  what   it   meant.    The  long 
line  of  soldiers  marching  so  quiedy,  then  the 
priests  blowing  the  trumpets  as  they  marched, 
and  after  them  more  quiet  soldiers.     They 
did  not  know  that  an  angel  of  God  had  told 
Joshua  to  do  this,  and  that  very  soon  they 
and  their  city  would  be  in  his  hands.     Every 
day  for  six  days  Joshua's  army  marched  once 
around  the  city  and  back  to  the  camp  but 
on  the  seventh  day  the  line  did  not  go  back. 
They  went  on  marching,  until  they  had  been 
around  seven  times. 

Then  Joshua  said  to  his  men,  "  Shcjt  now, 
for  the  Lord  has  given  you  the  city,"  and 
while  the  priests  blew  upon  their  triumpets, 
the  whole  army  gave  a  great  shout,  and  be- 
hold ♦he  wall  of  the  city  fell  down  flat !  Then 
the  .  .diers  rushed  in  and  took  the  people 
prisoners 


Josh 


he  Soldier 


8i 


So  God  ijave  the  city  to  Joshua  and  his 
army,  and  I  think  tliat  one  of  ths  reasons  He 
did  it  was  because  of  Joshua's  quick  obedi- 
ence in  doing  just  what  the  angel  told  him 
to  do. 

Shall  we  all  try  to  be  good  soldiers,  obey 
ing  our  mothers  and  fathers  and  teachers, 
quickly,  when  they  speak  to  us  ? 


i. 


m 


XVI 

The  Boy  Samuel 

/  Samuel  j  ;  2 :  j-'i,  1S-21 ;  3  :  r-io 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a 
woman  \vhf)se  name  was  Hannah. 
She  and  her  husband  lc)\cd  each 
other  dearly  and  would  have  been  very 
happy,  but  there  was  one  tiling  which  made 
Hannah  sad, — she  had  no  little  children.  Oh, 
she  did  want  a  baby  so  much  !  The  more  she 
thought  of  it  the  sadder  she  grew,  until  one 
day,  when  she  sat  down  to  dinner,  she  could 
not  eat ;  she  just  cried  and  cried.  Her  hus- 
band tried  to  comfort  her ;  he  told  her  he 
loved  her  more  than  ten  little  sons  could. 
He  was  very  good  to  her,  but  still  she  was 
unhappy  ;  she  longed  for  a  baby  to  hold  in 
her  arms,  and  to  rock,  and  to  love,  as  onlv 
mothers  can. 

After  dinner  Hannah  went  to  church,  and 
there  she  knelt  and  prayed  God  to  send  her 
a  little   boy.     She  prayed  so  hard  that  the 

tears  streamed  down  her  face.     She  promised 

82 


The  Boy  Samuel 


83 


God  that  if  lie  woulil  kt  lur  have  a  boy, she 
would  ^^ivc  him  to  the  Lord,  and  that  all  the 
days  of  h'vs  life  that  stin  should  work  for 
Him. 

Then  a  wonderful  thing  happened.  God 
sent  Hannah  what  she  had  longed  for,  a 
little  son.  Hannah  was  so  happy,  so  happy 
that,  instead  of  crying  any  more,  she  sang 
the  most  beautiful  songs  of  praise  and  thanks 
to  God  for  His  gift.  She  named  the  boy 
Samuel,  which  means  "  asked  of  God." 

While  he  was  a  tiny  baby  she  kept  him 
by  her,  and  then,  as  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough  to  run  about,  she  took  him  to  the 
church  where  she  had  prayed  God  to  give 
her  a  baby. 

What  promise  did  she  make  when  she 
prayed  that  day  ?  She  said  she  would  give 
her  boy  to  God.  Now  she  meant  to  keep 
that  promise.  Dearly  as  she  loved  having 
Samuel  run  around  the  house,  and  play  by 
her  side,  she  was  going  to  let  him  live  in 
God's  house,  away  from  her,  so  that  he  could 
grow  up  working  for  Him. 

She  gave  him  to  the  minister  who  lived 
in  a  room  on  one  side  of  the  beautiful  church. 


\     l\ 


r  .-—. r-r- 


84  "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

and  Samuel  had  a  little  room  on  the  rt'ier 
side.  At  night  there  was  a  lighted  lanp 
hanging  in  the  church.  While  Samuel  w  s 
sleeping  the  light  of  it  grew  dimmer  and 
dimmer  until,  when  the  morning  light  came, 
it  went  out.  Then  Samuel  would  jun^p  out 
of  bed,  and,  running  to  the  great  doors  ot  the 
church,  throw  them  open,  letting  the  sun- 
shine in.  That  was  his  work,  opening  the 
doors  in  the  morning  and  closing  them  at 
night,  and  taking  care  of  the  lamp. 

Hannah  lived  quite  far  away  in  the  country, 
but  every  year  she  came  to  the  church  to  see 
her  boy.  He  wore  a  white  linen  dress,  the 
kind  the  minister  wore,  and  every  time  his 
mother  came  to  see  him  she  brought  him  a 
litde  coat  she  had  made. 

So  Samuel  grew  older.  He  was  a  splendid 
boy,  g'  "^d  bright,  and  cheerful,  and 
every  '  a  him.     Now  comes  the  best 

part  of    '  J. 

One  night  the  minister  was  lying  asleep  in 
his  room  on  one  side  of  the  church,  and 
Samuel  was  asleep  in  his  little  room  on  the 
other  side.  In  the  church  it  was  very  quiet, 
the    lamp    was    burning    dimly,    though  it 


The  Boy  Samuel 


85 


1 


hadn't  quite  gone  out,  when  suddenly  a 
beautiful  voice  rany;  through  the  church  to 
Samuel's  room. 

"Samuel,"  i;  said,  and  Samuel  thought  it 
was  the  minister  calling  him. 

"  Here  am  I,"  he  answered,  and  ran  into 
the  minister's  room  saying,  '*  Here  am  I,  for 
thou  calledst  me." 

"  I  called  not,"  said  the  minister ;  "  lie  down 
again."     So  the  boy  went  back  to  bed. 

Then  again  the  voice  came  saying: 
"  Samuel." 

Whose  voice  do  you  suppose  it  was  ?  It 
was  God's  voice,  speaking  to  Samuel,  but 
Samuel  did  not  know  it  was,  and  again  he 
ran  to  the  minister  saying  : 

"  Here  am  I,  for  thou  didst  call  me,"  and 
the  minister  said  : 

"  No,  I  called  not,  my  boy,  lie  down 
again. ' 

When  it  was  all  quiet  God  spoke  a  third 
time,  "  Samuel."  This  time  when  Samuel 
ran  to  the  minister  saying  :  "  Here  am  I,  for 
thou  didst  call  me,"  the  minister  knew  it  must 
be  the  Lord  who  called. 

**  Go,  lie  down,"  he  said  to  the  little  boy ; 


.» 


I 


86  "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

"and  if  God  calls  thee  again  say  :' Speak, 
Lord,  for  Thy  servant  heareth.'  " 

So  Samuel  went  back  to  his  room  and  lay 
down,  and  soon  God's  voice  sounded  again 
calling,  "Samuel,  Samuel,    cr  d  little  Samuel, 
kneeling  at  the  foot  of  his  bed,  said,  "  Speak, 
Lord,  for  Thy  servant  heareth."     Then  God 
tiiircd  to  him,  and  told  him  what  He  wivnted 
him  to  do.     Wasn't  that  wonderful  to  have 
God  come  and  talk  to  a  litUe  boy,  just  as  if 
your  father  were  sitting  here,  talking  to  you  I 
God  is  as  near  as  that  to  every  one  of  us  ; 
we  cannot  hear  Him  as  Samuel  could,  but  He 
hears  us  and  wants  us  to  work  for  Him  as 
Samuel  did.     We  cannot  open  church  doors, 
or  take  care  of  church  lamps,  but  we  can 
help  our  mothers  and  take  care  of  the  babies 
for  God.     And  some  day,  when  we  go  to 
heaven,  we  shall  hear  Him  calling  us  by  our 
names,— that  same  beautiful  voice  that  called 
"Samuel,  Sami      " 


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XVII 
The  .>tor     >KRiith 

If  no!:  of  Ri.th 

IT  was  a  sad  woman  vvlio  once  started  off 
on  a  journey  with  two  girls.  She  wore 
a  long-  black  dress,  and  a  black  veil 
.  ».  nd  around  her  head,  and  her  eyes  were 
lull  of  tears.  Her  name  was  Naomi.  Her 
husband  was  dead,  her  two  boys  had  just 
died,  and  she  was  going  back  to  the  country 
where  she  had  lived  when  she  was  a  child. 
The  two  girls  who  were  with  her  were  girls 
she  loved  very  much,  who  had  been  very  good 
to  her  and  her  boys,  but  after  she  had  gone 
a  little  way  with  them  she  flopped  and  said : 
"  Go  back  to  your  homes  now,  to  your 
brothers  and  sisters  and  friends.  I  am  going 
to  a  far-away  country  you  have  never  seen. 
It  makes  me  sadder  still  to  say  good-bye  to 
you,  but  I  know  you  will  be  happier  there." 

Then  one  of  the  girls  kissed  her  good-bye, 
and,  turning,  went  back  to  her  home,  but  the 
other,  whose  name  was  Ruth,  put  her  arms 
around  her  and  said  : 

87 


f^ 


■  w 


88  *'Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

"  Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  for  whither 
thou  goest  I  will  go,  and  where  thou  lodgest 
I  will  lodge  ;  thy  people  shall  be  my  people 
and  thy  God  my  God." 

Naomi  said,  "  Can  you  bear  to  leave  your 
home  and  friends  to  go  and  take  care  of  a 
poor  old  woman  ?  " 

Ruth  said,  "  I  am  young  and  strong,  you 
are  old  and  sad ;  I  will  go  with  you  and  take 
care  of  you  as  long  as  we  both  live." 

So  they  travelled  on  together,  walking 
many  miles,  over  hills  and  across  plains,  in 
the  sun  and  rain,  sleeping  under  the  stars 
perhaps,  until  they  came  to  a  little  town 
among  the  hills,  the  town  of  Bethlehem. 
They  looked  down  on  it  and  saw  that  the 
fields  were  full  of  tall,  yellow  stalks  of  wheat 
and  barley.  Ruth  left  Naomi  in  a  little  house 
they  found  and  went  out  into  the  barley 
fields;  there  the  men  had  sickles,  and 
mowed  the  grain,  and  the  women  gathered 
it  up  in  bundles.  Poor  people  sometimes 
walked  after  the  women  and  picked  up  what 
they  dropped.  So  Ruth  followed  them,  pick- 
ing uo  pieces  of  the  long  yellow  stalks,  with 
the  barley  in  the  flower  part  at  the  top.     It 


The  Story  of  Ruth  89 

«vas  hard  work,  for  the  sun  beat  down,  and 
she  had  to  bend  and  bend.  But  she  thought 
of  poor  sad  Naomi,  who  was  hungry,  and 
then  Ruth  did  not  mind  if  she  was  tired  and 
hot,  she  worked  on  gladly. 

Towards  evening  the  owner  of  the  field 
came  to  see  how  the  reapers  were  working. 
He  raised  his  hand  and  said,  *'  The  Lord  be 
with  thee."  And  all  the  men  and  women  in 
the  field  stopped  working  and  answered: 
••  The  Lord  bless  thee." 

Then  the  master  saw  Ruth.  She  wore  a 
blue  skirt  and  a  red  jacket,  a  veil  was  twisted 
around  her  neck,  and  gold  coins  glittered 
among  her  hair.  The  master  asked  one  of 
the  reapers  who  she  was,  and  the  reaper 
said  :  "  Her  family  and  friends  live  in  a 
country  far  from  here,  but  she  has  left  them 
all  and  travelled  here  to  take  care  of  the 
poor,  sad  woman,  Naomi."  So  the  master 
called  Ruth  to  him  and  told  her  to  come 
every  day  and  pick  up  the  barley  which  was 
dropped,  and  also  to  have  dinner  in  the 
middle  of  the  day  with  his  workmen,  and 
eat  the  corn  and  the  bread  he  gave  them. 

Ruth    bowed    low    to    him   and  asked : 


€ 


.!  < 


■if 


w^ 


90 


"Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 


"  Why  art  thou  so  kind  to  me,  I,  who  am  a 
stranger?" 

And  the  master  said,  "  Because  I  know  how 
thou  hast  left  thy  father  and  thy  mother  and 
thy  home  to  take  care  of  a  poor,  sad  woman. 
May  the  Lord  bless  thee  and  reward  thee." 

As  he  walked  away  across  the  field  he 
stopped  and  told  the  reapers  to  let  Ruth 
gather  the  barley  that  was  dropped,  and  also 
to  let  fall  some  extra  pieces  fur  her.  So  day 
after  day  Ruth  came  to  gather  grain.  She 
lived  with  Naomi,  and  each  night  she  brought 
her  back  the  barley,  and  made  it  into  bread 
for  them. 

As  day  after  day  the  owner  watched  her, 
he  saw  how  good  she  was  and  how  hard  she 
worked  for  Naomi,  and  one  day  he  asked  her 
to  marry  him,  and  to  bring  Naomi  to  live  in 
his  big  comfortable  home.  There  they  were 
all  very  happy  together  ;  soon  God  sent  Ruth 
a  baby  boy,  ruid  wlien  Naomi  held  it  in  her 
arms  she  was  comforted  f'lr  the  loss  of  her 
own  boys,  and  thanked  God  f(  )r  His  care  of  her 
and  of  her  dear  Ruth.  This  tiny  baby  became 
the  grandfather  of  a  little  boy  named  David 
We  shall  have  a  story  about  him  soon. 


XVIII 


David  the  Shepherd  Boy 

/  Smmiel  ij  :  34-37 

THERE  was  once  a  shepherd  boy, 
named  David,  who  lived  out  on  the 
liills  day  and  night,  taking  care  of 
his  father's  sliccp.  His  great-grandmother 
was  Ruth,  v>  hoiu  we  had  a  story  about,  and 
her  little  Ijaby  became  his  grandfather. 

Wheii  tlic  suii  shone  warm  and  bright 
David  would  lead  the  sheep  far  away,  until 
they  reached  green  fields  and  quiet  streams. 
Then  they  would  stop,  and  eat,  and  drink, 
and  rest. 

Sometimes  storms  would  come,  thunder 
ani.1  lightning  and  heavy  rain.  Then  David 
would  lead  his  flock  into  a  safe,  dry  cave  and, 
sitting  at  the  entrance,  he  would  watch  the 
trees  breaking  under  the  wind,  and  the  light- 
ning flashing,  and  listen  to  the  thunder  roll- 
ing. Then  he  w-ould  sing  beautiful  songs. 
One  was  about  the  storm.  He  said  the  thun- 
der was  God's  voice,  and  that  He  sent  the 

91 


■It 


ill 


92 


Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 


rain,  and  the  wind  which  caused  the  trees  to 
bow  before  Him.  He  said,  in  the  song,  that 
God  was  taking  care  of  him  and  the  sheep, 
leading  them  to  the  rocky  cave,  and  that  they 
should  never  be  afraid,  they  should  always 
trust  in  His  care. 

When  the  storm  was  over  and  the  sun 
shining,  David  would  lead  the  sheep  out 
again  to  the  fresh  green  fields,  wet  with  rain. 
He  went  before,  and  they  all  followed  him. 

He  was  beautiful,  this  shepherd  boy.  His 
face  was  brown  and  tanned  by  the  sun  and 
wind.  He  had  fair,  curly  hair,  and  was  so 
strong,  and  brave,  and  happy,  that  every  one 
who  saw  him  loved  him.  He  wore  a  sheep- 
skin for  a  cloak,  and  c  er  his  shoulder  was 
slung  a  harp.  Did  you  ever  see  a  harp? 
Show  me  how  it  is  played. 

When  evening  came  and  the  little  stars  be- 
gan to  twinkle  in  the  sky,  David  played  his 
harp,  and  while  he  played  he  sang  those 
beautiful  songs. 

One  night  David  watched  the  sun  set,  and 
the  moon  and  stars  come  out,  and  while  he 
watched  them  shining  he  sang  a  song  about 
them,  saying  they  shone  with  the  glory  of 


David  the  Shepherd  Boy 


93 


God.  Then  putting  his  harp  down,  he  lay 
beside  his  sheep  and  rested.  The  little  lambs 
were  cuddled  up  dose  to  their  mothers,  and 
all  was  quiet  and  peiiceful  in  the  moonlight. 
Then  out  of  the  wocds  near  by  came  a  dark 
animal.  It  was  a  big  brown  bear,  and  it  had 
come  to  steal  a  lamb.  Nearer  and  nearer  it 
came,  then  suddenly  it  stopped,  and  giving 
a  great  cry  of  anger  and  pain,  it  rolled  over 
— dead.  What  do  you  suppose  had  hap- 
pened ?  David  had  taken  a  sharp  stone  and, 
putting  it  into  a  sling,  made  of  a  long  piece 
of  string,  he  had  let  it  fly  right  at  the  bear's 
forehead.     So  the  lambs  were  saved. 

Another  time  a  lion  sprang  from  behind  a 
rock  and,  seizing  a  baby-lamb  in  his  mouth, 
started  to  run  away  with  it.  In  a  second 
David  was  after  him.  But  what  could  one 
boy  do  against  a  savage  lion  ?  He  couldn't 
have  done  anything  if  he  had  been  afraid,  but 
he  knew  God  was  watching  him,  and  he  never 
thought  of  fear.  He  let  one  of  his  sharp 
stones  fly  at  the  lion's  head.  It  struck  him, 
but  did  not  kill  him,  and  letting  the  baby-lamb 
go  .imed  roaring,  r.nd  sprang  upon  David. 
But  i^avid  caught  him  by  his  beard,  and  with 


■  ■      r 


It! 
ill 


I 


I 


94 


"Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 


the  shepherd's  stail  struck  tmd  struck  him, 
until  the  great  animal  fell  luuk,  d^aJ. 

Don't  you  suppose  those  sheep  and  lambs 
loved  David  ?  I  don't  believe  they  were  ever 
afraid  \vlien  he  was  near,  do  you  ?  Even 
when  the  storm  crashed  around  them,  and 
bears  and  lions  came  near  to  kill  them,  I  am 
sure  they  knew  that  their  good  shepherd 
w.)uld  let  no  harm  come  to  them. 

And,  just  as  the  sheep  trusted  David  to 
take  care  of  them,  so  David  trusted  Some 
One  to  take  care  of  him.  Who  was  it  ?  One 
of  the  lovely  songs  he  sang  was  about  his 
trust  in  Gorl.  He  sang  "  The  Lord  is  my 
Shepherd."  We  can  all  say  that,  God  is  our 
Sheplierd,  t(xj.     Let  us  say  it  together. 

"The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd, 
I  shall  not  want. 
He  makctli  nie  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures, 
He  leadeth  me  beside  tlie  still  waters. 
He  restoieth  my  soul. 

****** 
Surely  goodness  and  mercy 

Shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  life, 
Anu  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  forever." 


DAVID    AM)    THK    I.IoX 


1 

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I 

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1 

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1 

f; 

1 

' 

XIX 


David  and  the  King 

(Suggested  by  Hrowning's  "  Saul  ") 

/  Samuel  i6  :  i^  to  end 

WHILE  David  was  li/ing  so  happily 
out  on  the  hills,  singing  and  play- 
ing his  harp,  and  taking  care  of 
the  sheep,  there  lived  a  king  in  the  city  near 
by,  who  was  as  sad  as  David  was  joyful. 

■-'e  lived  in  a  great,  beautiful  palace,  his 
robes  were  made  of  purple  and  gold,  and  he 
feasted  on  the  finest  food  in  the  land,— yet  he 
was  filled  with  sadness. 

Once  he  had  been  a  splendid  soldier, 
leading  his  people  to  battle,  and  all  who  saw 
him  pass  would  cry  "  Long  live  King  Saul ! " 
But  now  he  did  not  fight  batdes  any  more, 
he  did  not  even  sit  on  his  golden  throne, 
with  his  soldiers  and  servants  around  him. 
He  was  so  unhappy  that  he  could  not  move, 
he  just  hung  with  his  arms  over  a  bar  nf 

95 


11 


f^T— ^ 


96 


•'Tell  Me  a  True  Story 


\^ood  which  went  across  a  tent,  his  head 
talk-n  fi)rwurd,  his  eyes  closed.  He  wore 
rich  heavy  cloth<'s,  vvhich  shone  with  jewels, 
red,  blue,  and  yellow.  But  even  the  jewels 
looked  dull  in  that  dark  tent,  where  the  poor 
wretched  King  Saul  hung,  as  if  he  ..ere  al- 
most dtad. 

"  What  shall  we  do  for  him  ?  "  the  people 
asked.  "What  will  make  our  king  happy 
again  and  brave,  as  he  used  to  be  ? " 

Then  one  of  the  soldiers  remembered  that 
out  on  the  h'Us  he  had  seen  a  sheoherd  boy, 
a  boy  whose  face  shone  with  joy  while  he 
played  a  harp  ard  sang. 

•'  Perhaps  if  he  would  come  and  play  v'  b 
his  harp  the  king  would  be  well,"  he  said. 

So  David  was  sent  for.  They  could  hardly 
wait  for  him  to  come.  All  those  people 
loved  their  king  so  much  that  when  he  was 
sad  and  sick  they  were  wretched.  For  three 
days  he  had  hung  in  that  tent,  not  speaking 
nor  moving,  and  this  was  their  last  hope  of 
curing  him.  If  the  shepherd  boy  could  not 
help  they  feared  King  Saul  would  never  be 
well. 

At   last    David   came,    his    golden    hair 


David  and  the  kCing 


97 


shinint^,  his  face  full  of  joy.  His  harp- 
sUiiij,'s  were  twined  with  sweet,  fresh  lilies 
to  keep  the  striu^^s  from  breaking-  in  the 
heat,  for  it  was  hotter  there  than  the  very 
hottest  day  here. 

Do  you   think  he  was  afraid?    He  was 
only  a  boy,  you  know,  and  behind  that  tent 
curtain  was  the  great  king  1     All  the  people 
were  watching  him.     They  had  given  him 
the  hardest   task  they  knew  of.     They  had 
all  triec       help  the  king  and  had  failed,  and 
now  they  were  asking  a  shepherd  boy  to  do 
it.    It  was  enough  to  have  made  one  of  us 
just  shake   with  fear,  but  do  you  think  he 
did?    You  remember  when  the  bear  came 
and  the  lion,  to  steal  a  lamb,  he  was  not 
afraid.     Whom   did    he   trust    to   help   him 
then  ?    So  now  again,  he  trusted  God  to  help 
him  cure  that  great  king. 

For  a  moment  he  knelt  in  pr-riyer  upon  e 
sand  outside  the  tent,  then  lifting  the  tent- 
curtain  he  went  in,  saying,  "  Here  is  David, 
thy  servant."  All  was  blackness  at  first,  but 
soon  in  the  middle  of  the  tent  he  saw  some- 
tb-ng  blacker  than  the  blackness.  It  was  the 
king,  miserable,  half-dead  with  wretchedness 


98 


"Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 


leaning  upon  the  wooden  bar  which  went 
across  the  tent. 

Quickly  David  took  the  lilies  off  the 
harp-strings,  and  begrm  to  play.  He  played 
first  the  tune  all  the  sheep  knew,  soft  and 
sweet,  which  brought  them  home  one  after 
another,  as  the  stars  came  out.  Then  he 
played  othe;-  tunes,  some  happy  atid  bright, 
some  low  and  sweet,  some  loud  and  solemn. 

At  last  the  great  figure  moved  and  out  of 
the  darkness  the  king  groaned.  He  moved 
his  head,  and  the  red  and  blue  jewels 
flashed.  Then  once  more  David  bent  to 
his  harp,  and  while  he  played  he  sang.  He 
sang  about  the  king,  what  a  wonderful 
soldier  he  had  been,  what  a  wise  king,  how 
his  peoplci  loved  him.  Again  the  king 
'  -*ved.  He  stood  upright  and  looked  at 
David  with  sad  eyes,  while  he  laid  one  of 
his  large  hands  on  the  boy's  head.  He  was 
better,  David  knew,  but  not  well  yet.  What 
should  hf^  sing  about  that  would  cure  him, 
and  bring  him  joy?  David  fe'*^  that  ho 
would  die  gladiv  if  he  could  first  help  this 
king,  whom  he  loved  with  all  his  heart. 

Throwing  aside  his  harp,  he  began  again 


Duvid  and  the  ^ving 


99 


to  sing.  He  sang  atiout  God  now,  of  His 
love  for  all  flis  animals,  and  of  His  love  for 
us.  It  was  sudi  a  wonderful  song,  it 
filled  the  whole  tent  with  joy  and  gladness. 
He  Si.'<n|:j  of  the  love  we  have  for  each  other, 
of  his,  David's,  love  for  the  king.  He  said 
that  if  he  could  grow  poor  to  make  him  rich, 
if  he  could  starve  to  feed  him,  or  suffer  to 
help  him,  he  would  do  it.  And  then,  in  his 
song,  he  said  that  God  I'^vcs  us  the  same 
way  we  love  one  another,  only  more,  so  much 
more  that  we  can  never  reach  the  end. 

When  David  fuiished  that  song  he  stole 
quietly  out  of  the  tent,  and  ran  home  in  the 
night,  joyfully,  oh,  so  joyfully,  for  he  knew 
that  King  Saul  was  well  again.  He  was  the 
great,  brave  king  he  used  to  be ;  the  shepherd 
boy  had  cured  him. 

We  cannot  play  the  harp  or  sing  as  David 
did,  but  we  can  all  have  joyful,  shining  faces 
such  as  his  was.  Shall  we  try  to  see  how 
bright  and  cheerful  we  can  look? 

Remember  how  one  happy  boy  healed  a 
great,  wretched  king,  and  see  what  we  can 
do. 


1i 


XX 


David  and  the  Giant 

/  Samite/  // 

IN  the  country  where  David  lived,  there 
were  two  high  mountains  with  a  valley 
between  them.  On  one  mountain  were 
King  Saul  and  all  his  army.  On  the  other 
mountain  stood  a  great  giant  named  Goliath, 
and  behind  him  was  an  army  of  men  who 
hated  King  Saul,  and  wanted  to  kill  him  and 
all  his  soldiers. 

Every  day  the  giant  stood  up  on  the  moun- 
tain where  all  could  see  him  ;  he  was  so  tall 
that  you  wouldn't  have  come  as  high  as  his 
knees.  Upon  his  head  was  a  helmet  of  brass, 
and  his  whole  great  body  was  covered  with 
brazen  armour ;  even  on  his  legs  there  were 
heavy  brass  pieces.  In  his  hand  he  held  a 
loi  staff  with  a  sharp  spear  point  at  the 
end,  by  his  side  hung  a  sword,  and  a  man 
went  before  him  carrying  a  shield. 

There  on  the  mountain  top  he  stood  and 


lOO 


David  and  the  Giant 


loi 


shouted  across  the  valley  to  Saul's  army : 
"  Why  have  you  come  out  to  fight,  you 
servants  of  Saul?  Choose  a  man  and  let 
him  come  down  to  me ;  if  he  fight  me  and 
kill  me  then  will  we  be  your  servants,  but 
if  I  kill  him  you  shall  be  our  servants.  I 
defy  you  this  day ! " 

When  Saul  and  his  soldiers  heard  these 
words,  and  looked  at  the  terrible  giant,  they 
trembled  with  fear.  No  one  dared  go  out 
and  fight  him.  Two  of  the  soldiers  were 
older  brothers  of  David  ;  they  saw  the  giant 
every  day  and  heard  him,  but  they  were  as 
afraid  of  him  as  all  the  rest  of  the  army. 

What  was  David  doing  all  this  time  I 
Feeding  his  father's  sheep  on  the  hillside, 
away  from  armies,  and  fighting,  and  giants. 
But  one  day  his  father  called  him  and  told 
him  to  take  some  corn  and  loaves  of  bread 
to  his  soldier  brothers,  and  some  cheeses  to 
their  captain.  So  David  got  up  very  early 
the  next  morning  and  leaving  his  sheep  with 
a  keeper,  carried  the  food  to  the  mountain 
where  the  army  of  Saul  was  camped. 

Just  as  he  reached  there  whom  do  you  sup- 
pose he  saw  upon  the  mountain  across  the 


n 


im 


!      ! 


rawwuK 


102         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

valley  ?  The  giant,  and  he  called  again  the 
same  words,  daring  any  man  to  come  down 
and  fight  him.  David  listened  to  him,  and 
saw  Saul's  soldiers  running  away  to  their 
tents  in  fear.  That  surprised  him  ;  he  won- 
dered how  any  giant,  however  big  and 
strong,  dared  to  come  out  r gainst  Saul's 
army,  "  the  army  of  the  living  God,"  David 
called  it. 

Then  David  spoke  to  King  Saul,  and  told 
him  thc.t  he  would  go  out  to  fight  this  giant 
And  the  king  said :  "  But  you  are  only  a 
boy,  and  this  man  is  a  warlike  giant.  You 
are  not  able  to  fight  him."  David  answered, 
"Thy  servant  kept  his  father's  sheep,  and 
there  came  a  lion  and  a  bear  and  took  a 
lamb  out  of  the  flock,  and  I  went  after  them 
and  killed  them.  I  will  kill  this  giant  as  I 
did  the  bear  and  the  lion,  since  he  has  defied 
the  army  of  the  living  God." 

It  was  a  wonderfully  brave  thing  for  a 
boy  to  say,  wasn't  it  ?  Why  do  you  suppose 
David  dared  fight  the  giant  when  all  those 
strong  men  were  afraid  to?  Because  they 
only  trusted  in  themselves,  and  knew 
the  giant  was  stronger  than  they  were,  but 


David  and  the  Giant 


•^3 


I; 


{ 


): 


i 


David  trusted  in  some  one  stronger  than  the 
giant.  He  said  :  "  The  Lord,  who  deUvered 
me  out  of  the  paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the 
paw  of  the  bear,  He  will  deliver  me  out  of 
the  hand  of  this  giant." 

And  Saul  said :  "  Go,  and  the  Lord  be 
with  thee."  First,  Saul  put  his  armour  on 
D  ivid,  and  placed  a  helmet  on  his  head 
a  J  gave  him  his  sword.  But  David  said: 
•'  1  cannot  go  with  these ;  I  have  never  worn 
thom "  And  he  took  them  off.  All  he 
carried  was  his  shepherd's  staff  and  his  sling, 
and  from  the  brook  near  by  he  chose  five 
smooth  stones  and  put  them  in  a  shepherd's 
bag  which  he  had  hanging  from  his  belt. 

Down  the  mountain  towards  the  giant  he 
went.  And  down  the  mountain  on  the  other 
side  came  the  giant,  but  when  he  saw  who 
had  come  to  fight  him,  a  boy  with  a  bright 
fair  face,  he  was  angry. 

"  Am  I  a  dog,"  he  cried,  "  that  you  come 
to  me  with  a  stick  ?  "     And  he  cursed  David. 

Then  the  giant  called  :  "  Come  to  me, 
and  I  will  give  thy  flesh  to  the  birds  of  the 
air  and  to  the  beasts  of  the  field." 

Do   you  suppose  that  frightened  David  ? 


'   I 


i 


M 


104        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

Listen  to  what  he  answered.  He  said: 
"  Thou  comest  to  me  with  a  sword,  and  with 
a  spear,  and  with  a  shield,  but  I  come  to  thee 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of 
Saul's  army,  whom  thou  hast  defied." 

So  down  upon  David  came  the  giant,  big 
and  strong,  and  heavy  in  his  brass  armour, 
and  David,  light,  and  young  and  quick,  ran 
to  meet  him.  He  put  his  hand  in  his  bag, 
and  taking  a  stone  placed  it  in  his  sling, 
and  straight  at  the  giant's  forehead  he  let  it 
fly.  Deep  into  the  giant's  head  it  went,  and 
he  fell  upon  his  face  to  the  earth.  But  it 
hadn't  killed  him,  and  David  had  no  sword, 
you  know,  so  he  ran  and  stood  upon  the 
giant,  and  taking  the  giant's  sword  he  killed 
him  and  cut  off  his  head. 

When  the  army  of  the  giant  saw  that,  they 
turned  and  ran  away  over  the  mountains, 
and,  with  a  shout  of  joyi  Saul's  soldiers  ran 
after  them  and  took  them  prisoners. 

So  the  shepherd  boy,  with  a  sling  and  a 
stone  and  the  help  of  God,  won  a  great 
battle. 


.tttfii^lKAECn- 


XXI 
How  God  Took  Care  of  Elijah 

/  Kings  ij :  I -J  ;  James  5  .•  ly,  rS 

ONCE  upon  a  time  in  a  very  wild 
part  of  a  country,  full  of  high 
mountains  and  roaring  streams,  but 
with  little  green  grass,  there  lived  some  tall, 
strong  people.  They  built  small  stone  houses 
for  themselves  on  the  mountainside,  but  most 
of  the  time  they  spent  out-of-doors  taking 
care  ip,    and    ploughing    the    hard 

ground. 

One  man  who  lived  there  was  named 
Elijah.  He  was  as  tall  and  strong  as  any  of 
the  men  on  the  mountains.  Like  them  he 
ran  long  races  without  getting  tired ;  like 
them  he  took  care  of  the  sheep  and  spent 
many  nights  on  the  mountainside.  But  un- 
like them  most  of  his  thoughts  were  about 
God.  When  he  was  a  boy  his  mother  and 
father    had   told   him  the   stories   which   we 

know  of  Abraham  and  his  boy,  and  of  Joseph 

I  OS 


io6        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

and  Moses  and  others  whom  God  loved  and 
spoke  to.  Those  men  had  all  belonged  to 
the  country  where  Elijah  lived,  the  country 
of  Israel. 

Elijah's  home  on  the  mountains  was  far 
from  any  city,  but  from  travellers  he  Itamrd 
that  all  over  the  country  people  had  ceased 
praying  to  God,  and  were  praying  instead  to 
ugly  pieces  of  stone  and  wood.  They  had  a 
king  who  was  foolish  and  bad,  and  a  queen 
who  was  very  cruel  and  wicked. 

It  seemed  terrible  to  Elijah  that  the  children 
of  all  the  splendid  people  of  whom  God  had 
taken  such  care,  should  turn  from  Him. 
He  longed  to  do  something  to  make  them 
good  again  ;  to  make  them  love  God  and 
pray  to  Him  as  their  fathers  had  done.  But 
what  could  he  do  ?  He  knew  that  the  cruel 
queen  had  killed  all  the  people  she  could 
find  who  prayed  to  God,  and  ever  if  he 
reached  the  palace  of  the  king  alive,  of  what 
use  would  that  be  ?  He  wore  no  purple  and 
fine  linen,  like  those  who  lived  in  kings' 
houses,  but  only  a  camel's  skin  ;  his  hair  was 
long  and  tangled  ;  surely  he  would  not  be 
allowed  to  enter. 


How  God  Took  Care  of  Elijah     107 

But  he  knew  there  was  one  thing  he  could 
do  ;  the  one  thing  we  all  can  do  whenever  we 
are  in  trouble.  He  could  pray.  He  prayed 
God  to  punish  the  people  of  Israel,  who  were 
so  wicked,  by  not  sending  any  rain  or  dew 
upon  the  country.  If  that  happened  the 
people  would  have  no  water  to  drink  and 
the  grou  id  would  become  hard  and  no  crops 
could  grow.  Elijah  hoped  that  when  the 
people  were  hungry  and  thirsty  they  would 
be  sorry  for  their  sins,  and  pray  to  God 
again. 

Then  God  spoke  to  El"  ih.  He  told  him 
that  his  prayer  was  answered.  No  rain  nor 
dew  would  fall  upon  the  land  until  the  people 
turned  again  to  Him.  And  He  told  Elijah 
to  go  to  the  king  of  Israel  and  tell  him  what 
the  punishment  meant. 

Do  you  think  that  Elijah  was  afraid  to  go  ? 
He  knew  that  God  would  be  with  him,  and 
very  fearlessly  he  crossed  the  high  mountains 
which  surrounded  his  home  and  journeyed  to 
the  palace  of  the  king.  The  king  was  seated 
on  a  golden  throne  at  the  end  of  a  great  hall. 
He  was  dressed  in  splendid  robes  and  had  a 
crown  upon  his  head.    By  his  side  sat  the  cruel 


lo8        "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

queen,  glittering  with  jewels.  There  were 
servants  standing  at  the  door  of  the  hall,  and 
soldiers  guarding  the  gates  of  the  palace  to 
keep  out  strangers.  We  do  not  know  how 
Elijah  made  his  way  past  them,  but  I  think 
he  looked  so  strong  and  fearless,  that  they 
were  afraid  to  refuse  to  let  him  enter. 

At  last  he  stood  before  the  king,  and 
although  the  king  wore  gorgeous  clothes  a^d 
had  a  crown  upon  his  head,  Elijah,  dressed 
in  his  camel's  skin,  looked  far  more  like  a 
true  king  than  the  man  seated  upon  the 
throne. 

Then  Elijah  gave  his  message  :  •'  As  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  liveth,  before  whom  I 
stand,"  he  said,  "  there  shall  not  be  any  dew 
or  rain  these  years  but  according  to  my 
word ! " 

Then  he  turned  and  walked  out  of  the 
palace.  No  one  dared  touch  him,  although 
the  cruel  queen  must  have  longed  to  have 
had  him  killed  on  the  spot. 

Again  God  spoke  to  Elijah.  He  told  him 
to  go  to  a  little  brook  in  a  lonely  place  where 
no  one  lived,  and  He  would  take  care  of  him. 
So  Elijah  found  the  brook  rippling  down  a 


How  God  Took  Care  of  Elijah     109 

hillside,  and  on  the  soft  grass  beside  it  he 
lay  down  and  went  to  sleep.  The  next 
morning  when  he  woke  he  heard  a  strange 
flapping  noise.  It  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  soon,  flying  over  his  head,  Elijah  saw  a 
flock  of  black  ravens.  They  each  carried 
something  in  their  beaks  and  as  they  flew 
down  and  alighted  beside  him,  he  saw  it  was 
food,  bread  and  meat.  The  ravens  dropped 
the  food  on  the  green  grass  beside  him  and 
flew  away.  It  was  for  him.  It  was  his 
breakfast,  which  God  was  sending.  He  had 
fresh  water  from  the  brook  to  drink  with  it 
and  it  was  a  nice  meal. 

In  the  evening  the  same  flapping  noise 
sounded,  and  again  the  ravens  came  flying, 
this  time  with  supper  for  him  in  their  beaks. 

So  God  took  care  of  Elijah,  as  He  had 
promised  He  would,  1  for  some  time  he  was 
very  happy  in  that  1  lutiful  spot,  with  soft 
grass  to  lie  upon  and  kind  birds  to  feed  him. 
But  one  day  he  noticed  that  the  brook 
seemed  much  shallower,  and  every  day  after 
that  it  grew  lower  and  lower,  until  there  was 
not  enough  water  to  ripple  over  the  stones. 
There  had  been  no  rain,  you  know,  and  the 


I 


TSSHBP^W 


HO         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

brook  was  drying,'  up.  Do  you  think  Elijah 
was  trouhltcl  and  wondered  what  would 
become  of  him  when  those  last  drops  of 
water  were  gone  and  there  was  nothing  for 
him  to  drink?  He  knew  that  God,  who  had 
taken  care  of  him  in  the  palace  of  the  king, 
and  upon  this  lonely  hillside,  would  never 
leave  him.  In  the  next  story  we  shall  hear 
how  God  fed  him  after  the  water  dried  up. 


XXII 

The  Barrel  of  Meal  and  the 
Cruse  of  Oil 

AS  God  took  care  of  Elijah  in  our  last 
story,  so  He  did  now. 

When  the  litde  brook  dried  up 
God  spoke  to  Elijah  again.  He  told  him  to 
take  a  long  journey  across  the  country  of  the 
bad  king  to  a  litde  city  on  the  seashore,  and 
there  he  would  find  a  woman  who  would 
give  him  food. 

So  Elijah  started,  but  as  he  travelled  he 
grew  sadder  and  sadder  at  what  he  saw  around 
him.  For  no  rain  had  fallen,  you  know,  and 
the  fields  were  dry  and  brown  ;  there  were 
no  streams  of  water  rippling  down  the  hill- 
side and  the  people  he  passed  were  hungry 
and  thirsty  and  very  weak.  Sometimes  he 
met  a  shepherd,  who  had  led  his  poor  thiu 
sheep  far  from  home  with  the  hope  or  finding 
some  green  grass  and  a  little  stream,  but  had 

found  none.     Sometimes  on  lonely  hillsides, 

III 


f 


112        "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story- 

he  saw  men  praying  to  ugly  pieces  of 
stone,  and  Ik  li^ngetl  with  all  his  h<'aii  [o  have 
them  pray  instead  to  God,  whu  would  hear 
and  help  them.  At  last,  late  one  afternoon, 
he  saw  the  blue  sea  and  near  it  a  little  city 
with  a  wall  around  it.  Elijah  was  very 
hungry  and  thirsty  and  tired.  No  one  had 
given  him  anything  to  eat  or  drink  on  that 
long  journey,  and  outside  of  the  city  wall  he 
sank  down,  too  weary  to  go  any  farther. 

Then  he  noticed  a  poor  woman  near  him 
picking  up  little  sticks  and  twigs  and  putting 
them  into  her  apron.  He  called  to  her  and 
said,  ••  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little  water 
that  I  may  drink."  The  woman  turned  at 
once  to  go,  for  she  knew  where  some  water 
was,  and  Elijah  called  after  her :  "  Bring  me 
also,  I  pray  the,  a  little  piece  of  bread  in  thy 
hand."  Then  the  woman  came  to  him  with 
tears  streaming  down  her  face.  "1  have  no 
bread,"  she  said,  "  only  a  handful  of  flour  in 
a  barrel,  and  a  little  oil  in  a  cruse  (that  means 
a  bottle) ;  and  see,  1  am  gathering  these 
sticks  that  I  may  make  a  fire  and  bake  a  cake 
for  my  boy  and  me.  After  that  food  is  gon^ 
we  shall  die  of  hunger." 


The  Barrel  of  Meal 


>»3 


"  Fear  not,"  said  Elijah  ;  "  go  and  make  a 
little  cake  and  brinjj  it  to  me,  and  God  will 
take  care  of  thee  and  thy  boy,  for  thus  saith 
the  Lord  God,  '  The  barrel  of  meal  shall  not 
waste,  neither  shall  the  cruse  of  oil  fail  until 
the  day  that  the  Lord  sendeth  ruin  upon  the 
earth.' " 

Do  you  think  she  believed  him  ?  We  shall 
see. 

Patiently  Elijah  waited  while  the  woman 
went  to  her  house  ;  perhaps  he,  too,  wondered 
whether  she  would  trust  his  word  and  give 
him  all  the  food  she  had,  leaving  her  boy 
hungry.  But  soon  she  came  back  and  in  her 
hand  was  a  tiny  cake  !  After  Elijah  had 
eaten  it  he  went  with  her  into  the  house. 
The  boy  was  waiting  there;  perhaps  he 
had  helped  make  the  cake ;  and  now  he 
watched  eagerly  to  see  what  he  and  his 
mother  would  have  for  their  supper.  The 
woman  went  to  the  barrel  from  \.  ..ich  she  had 
taken  the  last  handful  of  flour,  and  what  do 
you  think  she  found  ?  The  barrel  was  filled 
with  nice,  white  meal.  She  lifted  the  bottle 
from  which  she  had  poured  the  last  drop  of 
oil,  and  it  was  heavy,  for  it  was  full  of  oil 


SKSPKS 


li 


'^■'^ 


114        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

Oh,  how  happy  she  was  1  She  made  another 
cake  for  herself  and  her  hungry  boy,  and 
they  thanked  Elijah  and  thanked  God  for 
sending  him  to  them. 

So  Elijah  stayed  in  the  little  h.cse  with 
the  boy  and  his  motl  t,  and  the  barrel  of 
meal  did  not  waste,  neitner  did  t  le  cruse  of 
oil  fail,  until  rain  fell  again  upon  the  earth. 


'^^=^ 


XXIII 


Elijah  and  the  Little  Boy 

/  Kings  //  /  //  to  end 

DO  you  remember  the  little  boy  who 
helped  make  a  cake  for  Elijah  after 
his  long  journey  ? 

Elijah  stayed  at  his  house  for  a  long  time, 
and  the  boy's  mother  made  cakes  and  bread 
every  day  for  them  to  eat.  What  did 
she  make  them  of  ?  Of  the  fiour  which 
wasted  not  and  the  oil  which  did  not  fail. 

The  mother  and  her  boy  became  very  fond 
of  Elijah.  They  gave  him  the  loft  over  the 
house  to  sleep  in.  It  was  reached  by  a  tiny 
staircase  outside  of  the  house,  and  many 
times  every  day  the  little  boy  ran  up  and 
down  those  stairs,  for  he  loved  to  be  with 
the  "Man  of  God,"  as  he  called  Elijah. 
Elijah  knew  the  most  beautiful  stories,  for 
you  remember  that  during  all  the  years  when 
he  was  a  shepherd  boy,  living  on  the  wild 
mountains,  he  had  been  told  many  of  the 
Stories  we  have  had  in  this  book.    We  can 

»»5 


116         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

think  of  the  little  boy  as  curled  up  on  the  floot 
near  Elijah,  or  ;  .tting  beside  his  mother  in 
front  of  a  blazing  fire  down-stairs,  listening  to 
stories  about  Jacob  and  the  angels,  or  the 
baby  boy  Moses,  or  Samuel  to  whom  God 
spoke.  Can  you  think  of  some  other  stories 
Elijah  may  have  told  ? 

But  one  day  the  boy  did  not  come  run- 
ning up  the  staircase  as  usual  to  the  loft 
Elijah  missed  him  and  went  down  to  see 
where  he  was.  He  found  the  mother  crying, 
and  the  boy  lying  in  her  arms  very  weak  and 
white,  and  hardly  breathing.  While  they 
watched,  the  poor  boy's  body  grew  so  tired 
that  he  stopped  breathing,  and  his  angel 
spirit  flew  away,  leaving  only  the  tired  little 
body  behind. 

When  the  mother  saw  that  her  child  was 
dead,  she  was  so  w  d  and  unhappy  that 

she  did  not  know  j.  at  she  was  saying, 

and  she  cried  to  Elijah  :  "  Oh,  thou  man  of 
God,  art  thou  come  here  to  kill  my  boy  ?  " 

"Giv,  me  thy  son,"  said  Elijah.  And 
very  tenderly  he  took  the  little  body  out  of 
the  mother's  arms.  He  carried  him  up  the 
staircase  to  his  loft  and  '^id  him  upon  his 
own  bed.  Beside  the  ded  he  knelt  and 
prayed  to  God.     Very  earnestly  he  prayed 


'*r- 


KLIJAH    AND   THE    WIDOWS    SON 


^* 


Elijah  and  the  Little  Boy         117 

and  three  times  he  stretched  himself  upon 
the  little  body  crying,  "  Oh,  Lord  my  God, 
I  pray  Thee  let  this  child's  spirit  come  unto 
him  again." 

Then  the  colour  came  back  to  the  little 
boy's  cheeks;  he  breathed  and  opened  his 
eyes ;  his  angel  spirit  had  come  back.  Joy- 
fully Elijah  lifted  him  in  his  arms  and  car- 
ried him  down  the  stairs.  At  the  foot  stood 
the  mother  weeping. 

"  See,  thy  son  liveth,"  said  Elijah,  and  when 
the  mother  raised  her  eyes  she  saw  her  boy, 
with  life  and  colour  in  his  face,  smiling  at  her. 
She  stretched  out  her  arms  towards  him,  all 
her  sorrows  turned  to  great  joy.  "  Now,"  she 
said  to  Elijah  as  she  took  the  child  and 
clasped  him  lovingly  in  her  arms,  "  now  I 
know  that  thou  art  truly  a  man  of  C  jd." 

Such  a  happy  supper  they  must  have  had 
together  that  evening.  And  many  evenings 
afterwards  they  were  togeu.  ,  until  one  day 
God  spoke  again  to  Elijah.  He  told  him  to 
leave  that  little  home  and  go  with  a  message 
to  the  bad  king. 

The  message  meant  a  great  deal  to  thou- 
sands of  people.  We  shall  hear  about  it  in 
the  next  story. 


ji 


-J^f^- 


XXIV 

Fire  from  Heaven 

/  Kings  iS 

WHILE  Elitah  wa'j  living  with  the 
little  boy  and  his  mother,  what 
was  happening  to  the  people  in 
Israel  ? 

They  were  still  praying  to  the  pieces  of 
stone  and  wood,  and  no  rain  had  fallen  for  so 
long  a  time  that  they  were  dying  of  hunger 
and  thirst.  Then  God  spoke  again  to  Elijah, 
and  gave  him  a  joyful  message  to  carry. 

"  Go  show  thyself  to  the  king,"  He  said, 
"  and  I  will  send  rain  upon  the  earth." 

So  Elijah  hurried    across  the  country   to 

the  king's   palace.      He  saw   poor  animals 

lying  dead  by  the   roadside,  and  sick  and 

wretched  people  with  no  food  for  themselves 

or  their  hungry  children,  and  he  must  have 

rejoiced  to  know  that  God  would  soon  send 

them  rain.     But  before  the  rain  came,  God 

wanted  the  people  to  stop   praying  to  the 

images    of  stone    and   wood    and    turn  to 

Him,  their  Father.     So  Elijah  told  the  king 

1x8 


Fire  from  Heaven 


119 


to  go  to  a  high  mountain  by  the  seashore, 
and  to  take  with  him  the  hundreds  of  men 
who  taught  the  people  to  pray  to  the  ugly 
images.  Those  men  were  called  priests  of 
Baal,  and  they  were  very  wicked.  The  king 
obeyed  and  drove  up  the  mountainside  in 
his  golden  chariot.  Around  him  marched 
hundretls  of  wicked  priests,  dressed  in  gor- 
geous clothes,  with  small  golden  suns  flashing 
on  their  foreheads.  Behind  them  came 
thousands  of  people ;  men  and  women  whose 
fathers  had  loved  nnd  prayed  to  God,  but 
whom  the  priests  h  I  taught  to  bow  down 
before  the  images  and  to  lead  sinful  lives. 
Before  them  all  stood  one  man,  tall  and 
strong,  with  long  hair  and  flashing  eyes, 
wearing  a  camel's  skin.  Who  was  he?  It 
was  Elijah.  And  although  he  was  only  one 
man  facing  those  thousands  who  hated  him, 
we  need  not  feel  sorry  for  him.  God  was 
with  him,  and  one  man  with  God  by  his 
side  is  more  powerful  than  a  whole  army 
without  Hin..  For  listen  to  what  happened. 
When  the  king  and  the  priests  and  the 
people  were  gathered  together  upon  the 
mountain,  Elijah  spoke  to  them. 


J^^^Cj 


'Wf' 


120         "TcU  Me  a  True  Story" 
"Let  us  take  two  oxen,"  he  said, 


and 


cut  each  in  pieces  and  lay  them  on  two 
separate  piles  of  wood  with  no  fire  under- 
neath. Then  call  ye  on  the  names  of  your 
imagoes  of  stone  and  wood,  and  I  will  call 
on  the  name  of  God.  The  one  who  an- 
swers the  prayer  by  sending  down  fire 
from  heaven  to  bur  i  ilie  ox,  let  him  be 
God."  Then  all  the  people  shouted,  "  It  is 
well  spoken."  First  the  wicked  priests  took 
their  ox  cut  it  in  pieces  and  placed  them  on 
a  pile  .ood.     Then  they  prayed  to  the 

ugliest  of  all  their  stone  images,  which  they 
called  Baal.  "Oh,  Baal,  hear  usl"  they 
cried,  and  they  jumped  upon  the  pile  of  wood, 
crying  louder  and  louder.  But  there  was  no 
answer.  No  voice  spoke  and  no  fire  came 
down  from  heaven.  All  the  morning  passed 
and  afternoon  came.  They  grew  more  and 
more  excited.  As  they  cried  aloud,  they 
danced  and  cut  them  Ives  with  knives  until 
their  blood  flowed.  Still  nothing  happened. 
There  was  no  voice,  no  fire,  no  answer. 

When  evening  came,  it  was  Elijah's  turn. 
Very  quietly  he  spoke  to  all  the  people. 
•'  Come  near  unto  me,"  he  said.     And  as 


Fire  from  Heaven 


121 


they  drew  close  around  him  he  built  a  litde 
altur  of  twelve  stones.  Upon  it  he  placed 
the  wood  and  the  second  ox,  cut  in  pieces. 
*•  Fill  your  barrels  with  water,"  he  said, 
"and  pour  it  over  the  altar."  He  wanted 
them  to  see  that  there  was  no  fire  hidden  un- 
derneath. I  suppose  they  brought  the  water 
from  the  blue  sea  at  the  foot  of  tlic  mountain. 
Three  times  the  men  poured  it  all  over  the 
pieces  of  the  ox,  and  the  wood,  until  a  stream 
of  water  ran  around  the  bottom  of  the  altar. 

Then  Elijah  came  near  and  prayed.  It 
was  a  wonderful  prayer,  so  different  from 
the  wild  cries  of  the  priest  of  Baal.  Elijah 
knew  he  was  speaking  to  God,  who  would 
hear  and  answer  him,  and  he  prayed  solemnly 
and  with  all  his  heart. 

•'  Lord  God,"  he  prayed,  "  let  it  be  known 
this  day  that  Thou  art  God  in  Israel  and  that 
I  am  Thy  servant.  Hear  me,  O  Lord,  hear 
me,  that  these  people  may  know  that  Thou 
art  God  and  that  Thou  hast  turned  their  hearts 
back  again." 

The  prayer  was  finished,  the  great  crowd 
watched  and  waited  ;  then  a  light  flashed  be- 
fore their  eyes,  as  the  fire  of  the  Lord  fell 


m 


122         "'I'cll  Mc  a  True  Story" 

from  Ivavcii.  It  burnt  up  the  ox,  the  wood, 
and  the  stones,  even  the  dust  below  the  altar, 
and  lieked  up  the  water  around  it.  With  a 
cry  the  people  all  fell  upon  their  faces. 
"The  Lord,  He  is  God,"  they  cried,  "the 
Lord,  He   is  '    .d." 

At  last  the>  nad  turned  to  God,  and  soon 
aftc  r  they  njse  from  their  knees  the  sky 
b'  c:;;ne  full  of  black  clouds,  and  there  was 
liie  rusiiini^  sound  of  a  mig-hty  wind.  After 
nil  those  months  the  rain  was  coming !  As 
the  king  in  his  chariot  hurried  back  to  his 
palace,  many  miles  away,  he  was  caught  in 
a  great  storm.  The  chariot  horses  were 
tearini^  at  full  speed,  but  before  them  ran  a 
maa  He  lan  so  fast  that  even  the  king's 
horses  could  not  c;itch  up  with  him,  and  he 
reached  the  palace  before  the  king  It  was 
Elijah,  filled  with  joy  and  thankfulness.  The 
prayer  he  had  made  so  many  years  ago  on 
the  mountainside  was  answered.  God  had 
taught  the  people  of  Israel  to  pray  to  Him, 
and  that  night  in  the  homes  all  over  the  land 
fathers  were  breaking  the  images  of  stone, 
md  gathering  their  families  together  to  pray 
to  God,  their  Father  in  heaven. 


i^    n3^*j 


XXV 

The  Story  of  Four  Boys 

Daniel  i 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  long,  long  ago, 
there  lived  a  great  king,  who  fought 
many  battles.  This  king  did  not 
know  about  our  God  in  heaven,  but  nrayed 
to  bloeks  of  wood  and  stone  with  ugly 
images  earved  upon  them.  One  of  tlie  bat- 
tles he  fought  was  against  a  peojjle  who  be- 
lieved in  God.  He  won  the  victory,  for  the 
people  were  not  good  and  God  wanted  tliem 
to  lose  to  teach  them  to  be  better. 

After  the  battle  the  king  sent  one  of  his 
servants  to  bring  him  four  boys  from  among 
the  people  he  had  conquered.  They  nuist  be 
the  sons  of  princes,  children  who  were  strong 
and  fine  looking,  and  clever  in  their  studies. 
He  wanted  to  take  them  back  to  his  own 
country,  to  live  in  his  palace,  and  to  learn  to 
speak   the   language   of  his   people.     They 

must  be  strong  or  they  would  die  of  home- 

133 


ffr 


124         "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

sickness  so  far  away  from  their  homes  ;  and 
clever,  for  the  languaj^'e  was  very  hard  to 
learn ;  and  of  course  they  must  be  beautiful 
to  look  upon,  or  they  would  not  be  wanted 
to  stand  in  the  palace  of  the  king. 

The  servant  chose  four  very  fine  boys,  and 
they  were  taken  miles  and  miles  awa^ ,  to  the 
country  of  the  great  king.  Their  names 
were  Daniel,  Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abed- 
nego.  Let  us  say  them  together,  for  it  is 
worth  while  to  know  the  names  of  those  four 
boys ;  we  are  going  to  have  such  fine  stories 
about  them. 

This  story  is  about  their  life  in  the  king's 
palace.  The  king  himself  lived  in  magnifi- 
cent fashion.  He  had  chariots  to  drive  in, 
and  soft  flowing  clothes  to  wear,  and  when 
he  sat  down  to  eat,  his  table  was  loaded  with 
the  best  food  that  could  be  found,  all  very 
sweet,  and  very  rich.  The  dishes  were  of 
gold  and  silver,  and  the  jewelled  cups  were 
filled  with  many  kinds  of  wine.  The  king 
wanted  the  four  boys  he  had  brought  back 
to  enjoj  themselves,  as  well  as  to  keep  strong, 
so  he  sent  them  every  day  food  from  his 
table,  in  silver  dishes,  and  shining  cups  fuU 


The  Story  of  Four  Boys  125 


of  wim*.  Do  you  think  that  is  the  kind  of 
food  which  makes  a  buy  or  jjirl  well  and 
strong?  Indeed  it  is  not.  The  sweet  pies, 
and  cake,  and  candy  you  eat  do  not  make 
you  grow  oi.f  bit  taller  or  rosier,  but  the 
bread,  and  the  potatoes,  and  green  vci^eta- 
bles  do ;  and  the  longer  you  go  without  wine, 
or  beer,  and  drink  only  pure  water,  the 
stronger  men  and  women  you  will  be. 

One  of  the  four  boys,  Daniel,  knew  this ;  I 
think  their  mothers  had  fed  them  always  on 
good,  simple  food,  and  thnt  was  the  reason 
they  were  so  fair  to  look  upon. 

When  the  tray  of  silver  dishes  was  brought 
to  the  boys,  Daniel  asked  the  king's  servant, 
who  took  charge  of  them,  not  to  make  them 
eat  that  rich  food.  This  ser\'ant  loved 
Dnniel  dearly  and  would  gladly  have  let  him 
do  as  he  asked,  but  he  was  afraid  that  the 
king  would  be  angry.  "  I  fear  my  lord  the 
king,"  he  said,  "  who  hath  sent  you  food 
and  drink.  If  he  sees  your  faces  growing 
thin,  he  may  punish  me  by  cutting  off  my 
head."  But  Daniel  knew  that  their  faces 
would  not  grow  thin  if  they  ate  simple 
food,  that  they  would  grow  taller  and  rosier 


''■%' 


126        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

than  if  they  ate  of  the  king's  dishes,  so  he 
said  : 

"  Try  us,  I  pray  thee ;  for  ten  days  let  us 
be  given  pulse  to  eat,  and  water  to  drink. 
Then  let  our  faces  be  looked  upon  before 
thee,  and  also  the  faces  of  the  boys  who  live 
here  and  eat  always  of  the  king's  meat,  and 
as  thou  seest  deal  with  us." 

So  the  king's  servant  said  he  would  try 
them;   for  ten    days   they  should  eat  only 
pulse.     That    was   a   food   like   our  beans. 
There   was   something  else  they  did  which 
helped  them  to  keep  strong  and  beautiful. 
What  do  you  do  every  night  and  morning  ? 
You  pray  to  God,  do  you  not  ?     If  you  went 
far  away  from  home,  should  you  always  re- 
member to  pray  ?    I  will  tell  you  of  one  way 
to  remind  you.     You  can  say  your  prayers 
the   way   these  boys  said  theirs.      Even  if 
you    should    forget  your   prayers,   I    know 
you   never  could    forget    your    home,    and 
these  boys  used  to  open  the  windows  of  their 
rooms   wide,  and    facing  towards  their  old 
home  they  prayed  God  to  take  care  of  their 
mothers  and   fathers   so   far  away,   and  to 
help   the   boys   to   do   always  what  would 


m 


The  Story  of  Four  Boys  127 

please  Him.  The  next  time  you  are  away 
from  home,  try  that  way.  Kneel  down  by  a 
window,  and  even  if  your  face  is  not  turned 
towards  home,  you  can  see  the  same  sky 
which  your  mother  sees,  and  she  will  seem 
near,  and  God  will  seem  very  near  indeed. 

The  ten  days  passed ;  the  king's  servant 
looked  at  the  four  boys,  and  then  at  the  boys 
who  had  eaten  of  the  king's  food  ;  and  what 
do  you  think  had  happened  ?  The  faces  of 
the  four  boys  were  rosier  and  plumper,  and 
they  looked  stronger  and  brighter  than  any 
of  the  boys  who  had  been  living  on  sweet, 
rich  food  and  drinking  wine. 

After  a  time  the  king  ordered  all  the  boys 
to  be  brought  to  him.  He  sat  on  a  high 
golden  throne  and  before  him  stood  the 
boys  of  his  kingdom,  with  Daniel,  Shadrach, 
Meshach  and  Abednego.  The  king  saw  that 
the  four  boys  were  taller  and  stronger  th^m 
all  the  others,  but  that  was  not  enough.  He 
wanted  to  find  out  hou^  much  they  knew. 
So  all  along  the  line  c^  boys  b.e  asked  ques- 
tions. To  his  surprise,  Daniel,  Shadrach, 
Meshach  and  Abednego  not  only  answered 
all  questions  far  better  than  the  other  boys, 


I 


ihh 


128        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

but  they  knew  ten  times  as  much  as  the 
wisest  men  in  his  kingdom.  Was  not  <  lat 
splendid  ? 

In  the  next  story  you  shall  hear  of  some- 
thing very  exciting  which  happened  to  those 
boys  soon  afterwards. 


I 


XXVI 

The  Burning  Fiery  Furnace 

Daniel  j 

OUR  last  story  was  about  the  foui 
boys  who  wjre  taken  far  away  horn 
their  homes  to  the  country  of  the 
king  who  prayed  to  images  of  wood  and 
stone. 

This  story  is  about  a  gorgeous  image 
which  the  king,  who  was  called  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, worshipped.  He  had  it  made  of  jsfiin- 
ing,  yellow  gold,  and  it  was  very  big  and 
high.  It  could  not  have  stood  in  any  house, 
it  was  so  huge,  but  the  king  set  it  up  on  a 
plain,  a  great  field  with  no  trees  on  it.  Then 
he  sent  to  gather  together  all  the  most 
important  people  in  the  kingdom,  the  princes, 
the  governors,  and  the  captiiins,  the  judges, 
the  counsellors  and  the  rulers,  to  come  and 
see  the  image  he  had  set  up.  From  all  the 
country  round  they  came,  and  when  they  were 

gathered  together,  the   princes,  the   govern* 

129 


130        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

ore,  the  captains,  the  judges,  the  counsel- 
lors and  the  rulers,  they  stood  before  the 
great  image. 

Among  them  were  three  of  the  four  boys, 
Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abednego,  who  had 
become  great  men  now,  and  helped  the  king 
rule  over  his  kingdom.  I  think  Daniel  was 
away  on  a  journey,  for  the  Bible  does  not  say 
that  he  was  there. 

It  must  have  been  a  splendid  sight.  The 
princes  and  all  the  other  men  wore  bright 
and  bcautiii'l  clothes,  and  the  image  of  gold 
shone  so  dazzlingly  in  the  sun  that  they  could 
not  look  at  it.  At  one  side  were  men  with 
musical  instruments,  those  with  strings  you 
play  upon,  and  the  brass  trumpets  you  blow. 
They  were  not  olaying,  they  were  waiting 
and  listening  .  '-«e  others  to  hear  what 
the  king  wanted  them  to  do  in  honour  of  his 
wonderful  image.  Soon  a  man  stepped  out 
from  the  crowd.  He  was  a  messenger  from 
the  king  called  a  herald,  and  was  to  tell 
them  why  they  had  been  called  together. 
He  cried  aloud  that  all  might  hear : 

"  To  you  it  is  commanded,  O  people,  na- 
tions and  languages,  that  at  what  time  ye 


'Ihe  Burning  Fiery  Furnace        131 

hear  the  sound  of  the  cornet,  flute,  harp, 
dulcimer  and  all  kinds  of  music,  ye  fall  down 
and  worship  the  golden  image  that  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, the  king,  hath  set  up.  And 
whoiioever  falleth  not  down  and  worshippeth 
shall  the  same  hour  be  cast  into  the  midst  of 
a  burning  fiery  furnace." 

The  furnace  was  there  in  front  of  them, 
not  a  big  black  one  like  ours,  but  built  into  a 
cave  of  rock,  so  that  you  could  stand  before 
it,  and  see  the  flames  glowing  and  leaping. 
It  was  large,  very  large,  so  that  many  men 
could  be  thrown  into  it  if  they  dared  to  dis- 
obey the  king.  Do  you  think  there  were 
any  men  in  that  crowd  who  would  disobey 
and  run  the  risk  of  being  thrown  into  that 
terrible  place,  to  be  burnt  up  in  a  flash  like  a 
piece  of  paper? 

Listen,  and  I  '1  ill  tell  you  if  there  were  any 
so  bold.  The  musicians  began  to  play,  and 
as  soon  as  the  sound  of  the  cornet,  flute,  harp 
and  all  kinds  of  music  was  heard  by  the 
people,  they  all  fell  down  and  worshipped 
the  golden  image  that  Nebuchadnezzar  the 
king  had  set  up. 

1  said  "  all,"  but  there  were  three  men  who 


I 


132        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

stood  up  straight  and  looked  before  them, 
and  did  not  bow  their  heads,  or  bend  their 
knees  before  that  golden  image.  You  can 
guess  who  they  were,  Shadrach,  Meshaich 
and  Abednego. 

Some  of  the  princes  came  near  to  the  king 
and  said,  "  O  king,  live  forever.  Thou,  O 
king,  hast  made  a  law,  that  every  man  that 
shall  hear  the  sound  of  cornet,  flute,  'arp, 
dulcimer  and  all  kinds  of  music  shah  fall 
down  and  worship  the  golden  image,  and 
whosoever  falleth  not  down  and  worshippeth, 
that  he  should  be  cast  into  the  midst  of  a 
burning  fiery  furnace.  There  are  certain 
men  thou  hast  set  over  part  of  thy  kingdom, 
Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego.  These 
men,  O  kiii^,  have  not  obeyed  thee.  They 
serve  not  thy  gods,  nor  worship  the  golden 
image  which  thou  hast  set  up." 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  in  furious  rage  com- 
manded that  those  three  men  be  brought  be- 
fore him  and  he  spoke  to  them  and  said: 
"  Is  it  true,  O  Shadrach,  Mesharn  and  Abed- 
nego, do  not  ye  serve  my  gods  nor  worship 
the  golden  image  which  I  have  set  up? 
Ncv  if  ye  be  ready  that  at  what  time  ye 


The  Burning  Fiery  Furnace        133 

hear  the  sound  of  the  cornet,  flute,  harp, 
dulcimer  and  all  kinds  of  music,  ye  fall  down 
and  worship  the  image  which  I  have  made, 
well !  But  if  ye  worship  not  ye  shall  be  cast 
the  same  hour  into  the  midst  of  a  burning 
fiery  furnace,  and  who  is  that  God  that  shall 
deliver  you  out  of  my  hands  ? " 

Then  Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abednego 
answered  and  said  to  the  king  : 

"  If  it  be  so  our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able 
to  deliver  us  from  the  burning  fiery  furnace, 
and  He  will  deliver  us  out  of  thine  )iand, 
O  king.  But  if  not,  be  it  known  unto  thee, 
O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor 
worship  the  golden  image  which  thou  hast 
set  up." 

That  was  splendid !  Their  answer  to  the 
king  is  one  of  the  finest  speeches  in  the 
Bible.  But  it  enraged  the  king.  He  was  full 
of  fury,  his  face  grew  tenible  to  look  upon, 
and  he  ordered  that  the  furnace,  which 
was  already  blazing  hot,  should  be  made 
seven  times  hotter.  Then  he  commanded 
the  mightiest  men  of  his  army  to  bind  Shad- 
rach, Meshach  and  Abednego,  and  to  cast 
them  into  the  midst  of  the  furuacc.    They 


m 


'ffr-- 


134         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

were  bound  in  their  coats  and  hats  and  other 
clothes,  and  as  they  were  cast  into  the  midst 
of  the  blazing  fire,  the  fierce  heat  burned  up 
those  men  who  had  bound  them,  and  Shad- 
rach,  Meshach  and  Abednego  fell  down 
into  the  midst  of  the  burning  fiery  furnace. 
From  where  Nebuchadnezzar  was  sitting 
he  CDuld  look  right  into  the  furnace,  and  as 
soon  as  the  three  men  were  thrown  there,  he 
sprang  up,  greatly  astonished  and  cried  to 
his  counsellors,  "  Did  not  we  cast  three  men 
bound,  into  the  midst  of  the  fire  ?  " 

They  answered,  "  True,  O  king." 

He  said,  "  Lo,  I  see  four  men  loose,  walk- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  and  they  have  no 
hurt,  and  the  form  of  the  fourth  is  like  the 
Son  of  God." 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  came  near  to  the 
mouth  of  the  burning  fiery  furnace  and  cried, 
"  Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abednego,  ye  serv- 
ants of  the  most  high  God,  come  forth  and 
come  hither."  And  Shadrach,  Meshach  and 
Abednego  came  out  from  the  midst  of  the 
fire. 

Then  the  princes,  governors  and  captains 
and    the  king's  counsellors,  all   who  were 


The  Burning  Fiery  Furnace        135 

gathered  together,  saw  the  three  men  as 
strong  and  whole  as  they  were  before  they 
were  cast  into  the  furnace ;  for  the  fire  had 
had  no  power  upon  them.  Not  a  hair  of 
their  heads  was  singed,  nor  were  their  coats 
scorched  nor  was  there  even  the  smell  of 
burning  about  them. 

Then  Nebuchadnezzar  said,  "Blessed  be 
the  God,  who  hath  sent  His  angel  and  de- 
livered His  servants  that  trusted  in  Him. 
Therefore  I  make  a  law  that  every  people, 
nation  and  language,  which  speaks  against 
the  God  of  Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abed- 
nego,  shall  be  cut  in  pieces,  because  there  is 
no  other  God  that  can  save  men  after  this 
sort." 

So  the  king  gave  even  higher  places  in  his 
kingdom  to  the  three  brave  men,  and  he  and 
all  his  people  worshipped  the  Lord  God  of 
Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abednego. 


LI 


XXVII 

How  God  Punished  a  Proud 
King 

Daniel  ^ 

A  GREAT  feast  was  being  held  in  a 
king's  palace,  and  thousands  of  his 
lords  were  there  with  their  wives  and 
their  friends. 

It  was  the  same  palace  to  which  the 
four  boys,  Daniel,  Shadrach,  Meshach  and 
Abedncgo  had  been  taken,  but  the  king 
whom  they  had  served  was  dead  and  his  son 
Belshazzar  ruled  in  his  stead. 

Do  you  remember  about  the  gold  and 
silver  dishes  full  of  rich  food,  and  the  jewelled 
cups  of  wine  which  the  old  king  had  upon 
his  table?  This  son  had  the  same  shining 
cups  and  dishes,  but  when  he,  and  the  lords 
and  ladies  with  him  at  the  feast,  had  eaten 
and  drunk  a  great  deal,  they  called  for  more 
precious  dishes.  There  were  no  others  left 
in  the  palace,  so  the  kin^  did  a  dreadful  thing. 
He  sent  to  the  church  and  had  the  gold  and 

136 


How  God  Punished  a  Proud  King     137 

silver  cups  and  bowls  that  were  used  on  the 
altar  brought  to  him.  I  suppose  they  were 
like  the  silver  bowl  used  now  when  babies  are 
christened,  and  the  silver  cups  in  our  com- 
munion service.  They  belong  to  God's 
house,  and  we  are  careful  and  quiet  when  we 
touch  them,  but  this  wicked  king  filled  them 
with  wine  and  passed  them  around  the  table, 
and  all  the  guests  drank  out  of  them.  As 
they  drank  they  grew  noisy  and  boastful ; 
they  praised  the  gold  and  silver  the  cui)s 
were  made  of,  and  they  praised  the  gods 
they  worshipped  ;  gods  made  of  just  such  gold 
and  silver,  or  else  of  brass  and  wood  and 
stone. 

In  the  midst  of  the  laughing  and  feasting 
the  king's  face  turned  deathly  pale  ;  his  knees 
shook,  and  his  eyes  opened  wide  with  terror. 
The  guests  thought  that  he  was  sick,  but  he 
only  pointed  a  shaking  finger  at  the  wall  be- 
hind them.  The  wall  was  of  white  plaster 
and  a  great  golden  candlestick  was  standing 
near  throwing  its  light  upon  it.  There  on 
the  bright  wall  were  the  fingers  of  a  man's 
hand,  and  as  they  all  gazed  in  terror  the  hand 
feegan  to  write  upon  the  plaster.    This  is 


I 


138         **Ten  Mc  a  True  Story' 


what  it  wrote  in  great  glaring  letters, "  Mene, 
Mene,  Tekel,  Upharsin." 

What  did  the  words  mean  ?  No  one  at 
the  feast  knew  any  more  than  you  do,  but 
they  were  terribly  frightened.  Shaking  with 
terror  the  king  cried  aloud  to  have  all  the 
w'sebi  men  of  his  Kingdom  brought  U>  him. 
Vv  iun  they  were  gathered  tog<  th(  r  lu-  spoke 
t' »  thf'tn  and  said : 

•'  Whosoever  shall  read  this  writing,  and 
t'll  me  what  it  means,  shall  be  (  .  tlird  with 
searlet,  and  shall  have  a  chain  of  g')ld  about 
his  neck,  and  shall  be  the  third  ruler  in  the 
kingdom." 

But  they  only  gazed  and  gazed  and  shook 
their  heads  ;  not  one  of  them  could  tell  what 
the  terrible  looking  words  meant.  How 
could  they  find  out?  The  king  was  growing 
ill  with  fear  and  his  lords  did  not  know  what 
to  do. 

Then  the  queen  came  into  the  banquet 
hall,  and  spoke  to  her  husband.  "  O  king, 
live  forever,"  she  said.  "  Let  not  thy 
thoughts  trouble  thee,  nor  let  thy  face  grow 
pale.  There  is  a  man  in  thy  kingdom  in 
whom  is  the  spirit  of  the  Holy  God  ;  him 


'€>•■' 


How  God  Punished  a  Proud  King    1 39 

Kinjf  Nebuchadnezzar,  thy  father,  trusted. 
Now  let  Daniel  be  called  ;  he  will  show  us  the 
meaning." 

So  Daniel  was  brought  before  the  king, 
who  told  him  that  the  wisest  men  in  the 
kingdom  had  been  sent  for  and  had  all  failed 
to  read  the  writing.  "  I  have  heard  of 
thee,"  he  said,  "  that  the  .spirit  of  God  is  in 
thee.  Now  if  thou  canst  read  the  writing, 
and  tell  me  what  it  means,  thou  shalt  be 
clothed  in  scarlet,  and  have  a  chain  of  gold 
about  thy  neck,  and  shalt  be  the  third  ruler 
in  the  kin^'dorr  "' 

Daniel  looket  straight  at  the  bad  V'ng 
and  said,  "  O  thou  king,  thou  hast  lifted  up 
thyself  against  the  I  .orri  of  heaven,  and  ha^t 
placed  the  cups  of  His  house  before  thee, 
and  thou  and  thy  lords  and  ladies  have 
drunk  wine  in  them.  Thou  hast  praised  the 
gods  of  silver  and  goU!,  of  brass,  iron, 
wood  and  stone,  which  see  not,  nor  hear,  nor 
know,  and  God,  in  whose  hand  thy  breath 
is,  thou  hast  not  glorified." 

Then  Daniel  looked  at  the  great  white  wall 
where  the  strange  letters,  which  no  man 
could  understand,  shone  c  ;t. 


i 


\WTiT 


140        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

"  Mene,  Mene,  Tekel,  Upharsin,"  he  read 
"  This  is  the  meaning  :  '  Thou  art  weighed 
in  the  balance  and  found  wanting.  Thy 
kingdom  shall  be  taken  away  from  thee.'" 

So  Daniel  was  clothed  in  scarlet  as  the 
king  had  promised,  and  a  chain  of  gold  was 
put  about  his  neck,  and  he  was  made  the 
third  ruler  in  the  kingdom. 

But  all  the  time  the  feast  was  going  on, 
while  the  hand  was  writing,  while  Daniel 
was  explaining  the  four  words,  an  army  of 
shepherds,  strong  brown  men,  were  stealing 
up  the  bed  of  the  river  which  flowed  through 
the  city.  Under  the  wall  they  crept  without 
a  sound ;  they  hurried  through  the  dark 
streets  and  surrounded  the  palace  where  the 
proud,  bad  king  had  feasted,  using  the  cups 
and  bowls  from  God's  house. 

When  morning  dawned  the  whole  rich  city 
belonged  to  the  shepherds  who  had  marched 
silently  up  from  their  own  country,  and  in 
the  palace  lay  King  Belshazzar,  dead. 


XXVIII 

Daniel  in  the  Den  of  Lions 

Daniel  6 

IN  the  story  we  have  just  had  there  were 
shepherds  who  marched  up  from  their 
country  while  the  bad  King  Belshazzar 
was  feasting,  and  took  his  palace  and  city, 
and  killed  him.  They  had  a  king  of  their 
own,  called  Darius,  and  this  shepherd  king 
grew  very  fond  of  Daniel.  The  country  he 
had  conquered  was  so  big  that  he  could  not 
rule  over  all  of  it  himself,  so  he  divided  it 
up  into  many  parts  and  put  a  prince  in 
charge  of  each  part.  Over  these  princes  he 
put  three  other  men,  called  presidents,  and 
over  all  the  presidents  and  princes  he  put 
Daniel.  That  made  the  princes  and  presi- 
dents angry,  and  they  tried  to  find  out  some- 
thing bad  about  Daniel  to  tell  the  king. 
But  Daniel  was  very  honest  and  faithful, 
and  they  could  find  nothing  about  him  that 
was  not  good.     Then  they  made  a  wicked 

plan.    They  knew  that  every  morning  and 

141 


142        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

evening,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  Daniel 
opened  his  window  facing  towards  his  old 
home,  and  prayed  to  God,  just  as  he  had 
done  ever  since  he  was  a  boy.  So  the  presi- 
dents of  the  kingdom  and  the  princes  met 
together  and  went  before  the  king.  "  King 
Darius,  live  forever,"  they  said.  "All  the 
presidents  of  the  kingdom,  the  governors, 
and  the  princes,  and  the  captains  wish  you  to 
make  a  law,  that  whosoever  shall  pray  to 
God,  or  to  a  man,  for  thirty  days,  save  to 
thee,  O  king,  he  shall  be  cast  into  the  den 
of  lions."  It  pleased  the  king  to  think  that 
every  one  in  his  city  would  be  praying  to 
him,  as  if  he  were  a  great  God,  so  he 
signed  this  wi^:ked  law. 

Daniel  knew  about  it.  Perhaps  he  had 
been  standing  beside  the  king's  throne  when 
the  presidents  and  princes  met  there, — and 
what  do  you  think  he  did?  He  went  into 
his  house  and  opened  wide  the  windows 
facing  towards  the  country  where  his  home 
was.  There  he  knelt  down  and  prayed  and 
gave  thanks  to  God.  That  night  he  did  the 
same  thing,  and  again  the  next  morning. 
He  could  have  waited  until  he  was  in  bed, 


iH 


Daniel  in  the  Den  of  Lions 


H3 


where  no  one  could  see  him  say  his  prayers. 
Or  he  could  have  left  the  windows  closed. 
But  he  was  not  ashamed  to  have  an>-  one  see 
him  pray,  and  he  was  not  afraid.  The  presi- 
dents and  princes  were  watching-  down  in  the 
street,  peeking  from  behind  the  corners  per- 
haps, and  when  they  saw  Daniel  kneeling 
beside  the  open  windows,  and  heard  his  voice 
raised  in  prayer,  they  hurried  to  the  king. 

"  Hast  thou  not  made  a  law,"  they  said 
••  that  every  man  who  prays  to  any  God  o: 
man  for  thirty  days,  save  to  thee,  O  king, 
shall  be  cast  into  a  den  of  lions?  " 

The  king  answered,  "  The  thing  is  true." 

Then  with  cruel  delight  they  said,  "  That 
Daniel  obeys  thee  not,  O  king,  but  says  his 
prayers  three  times  a  day."  When  the  king 
heard  that,  he  was  very  unhappy,  for  he  loved 
Daniel  and  had  not  dreamed  that  in  making 
that  bad  law  he  would  hurt  his  friend.  But 
the  law  had  been  made,  and  although  the 
king  spent  all  the  rest  of  the  day  in  trying  to 
change  it,  he  could  not  do  it. 

So  Daniel  was  brought  to  the  great  cage  of 
angry,  roaring  lions. 

Have  >;  i  ever  seen  a  lion?    You  know 


144        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

how  fierce  it  is.  Its  coat  is  yellow  and 
shaggy,  its  eyes  glow  like  burning  coals, 
and  you  often  see  it  tramping  up  and  down 
its  cage,  roaring. 

The  king's  lions  were  very  wild  and  very 
hungry,  and  when  the  soldiers  brought 
Daniel  to  the  cage  the  lions  dashed  them- 
selves against  the  bars  and  roared  with  fury. 
The  cage  was  opened  from  above,  and  right 
into  the  midst  of  the  savage  animals  Daniel 
was  thrown.  Very  sadly  the  king  stood  by 
and  saw  it  done,  and  then  a  ray  of  hope  came 
to  him,  and  he  said  to  Daniel :  "  Thy  God, 
whom  thou  servest,  He  will  deliver  thee." 

He  was  not  at  all  sure  God  could  save 
Daniel  from  those  wild  beasts.  It  was  only 
a  hope  that  perhaps  He  could.  A  huge  stone 
was  brought  and  rolled  over  the  opening  of 
the  den,  and  the  king  sealed  it  with  sealing- 
wax  and  with  his  own  ring.  Then  the  king 
went  back  to  his  palace,  but  could  not  eat 
nor  listen  to  music,  he  was  so  unhappy.  All 
night  he  lay  awake  and  thought  of  Daniel, 
torn  to  pieces  very  likely  by  the  lions.  Early 
in  the  morning  he  got  up  and  hurried  to 
the  den  of  lions     When  he  reached  there. 


^"•W      -S!»° 


i  *■ .  1 

m 


3C^ 


P"?^ 


is 

73 


r. 


'J 
2 


2i 


r. 


Daniel  in  the  Den  of  Lions        145 

he  cried  in  a  most  miserable  \  uicc :  "  O 
Daniel,  servant  of  the  living  Gud,  is  thy 
God,  whom  thou  servest,  able  to  deliver  thee 
from  the  lions  ?  "  He  listened  eagerly,  long- 
ing for  the  sound  of  Daniel's  voice  to  show 
he  was  yet  alive.  In  a  loud,  strung  voice, 
the  anL>\ver  came: 

"  O  king,  live  forever.  My  God  hath  sent 
His  angel,  and  hath  shut  the  lions'  mouths, 
and  they  have  not  hurt  me." 

The  king  was  filled  with  gladness ;  he 
called  his  servants  to  come  and  open  the 
den,  and  take  Daniel  from  it.  So  he  came 
out.  There  was  not  even  a  scratch  upon  him, 
because  he  had  trusted  in  his  God. 

Then  the  king  commanded  to  bring  all 
the  cruel  presidents  and  princes,  the  very 
men  who  had  tried  to  kill  Daniel,  and  they 
were  thrown  iito  the  den  of  lions ;  and  the 
wild  beasts  broke  the  bones  of  the  men  in 
pieces  before  they  even  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  den.  And  King  Darius  made  a  new 
law,  that  all  in  his  kingdom  should  serve 
the  God  of  Daniel,  the  r;'.'  and  Hving  God 
who  had  delivered  hiL>  iru'i  the  power  of 
the  lions. 


*        I 

m 


hi: 


i; 


r- 


I 


i  ! 


XXIX 

The  Coming  of  the  King 

Luke  t :  26-J8,  46-55 

WHAT  wonderful,  beautiful  Jay 
comes  in  the  winter,  the  best 
day  of  all  the  year?  Of  course 
you  will  say  Christmas.  When  it  gets  near 
Christmas  time  we  begin  to  look  forward 
and  count  how  long  it  will  be  before  it 
comes.  We  say,  "  Next  month  Christmas 
is  coming,"  then  "  Next  week,"  and  at  last 
we  say,  "To-morrow  will  be  Christmas 
Day."  and  we  all  hang  up  our  stockings. 
We  grow  happier  every  day  that  brings 
Christmas  nearer,  and  plan  the  presents  we 
are  going  to  give  people  to  show  how  happy 
we  are. 

Once,  a  long,  long  time  ago,  there  had 
never  been  a  Christmas  day,  but  the  people 
knew  that  some  year  it  would  come,  and  they 
waited  and  watched  for  it  more  even  than 

we  do.     They  were  sad  and  unhappy,  those 

146 


^.1 


Vv 


The  Coming  of  the  King        147 

people  who  had  never  had  a  Christmas,  and 
they  had  been  growing  more  unhappy  and 
more  wicked  many  of  them  every  year  since 
the  time  I  told  you  about  when  Adam  and 
Eve  walked  with  God  in  the  beautiful  garden. 

So  the  world  grew  very  sad.  There  was 
only  one  hope  which  made  the  people  happy. 
They  had  been  told  that  some  day  a  King 
would  come,  a  King  who  would  show  them 
how  to  be  good,  and  strong,  and  happy 
again.  The  day  that  King  came  would  be 
Christmas  Day,  the  first  Christmas  in  the 
worid.  That  is  why  all  these  poor,  sorrowful 
people  were  watching  for  the  coming  of 
Christmas,  the  coming  of  the  King. 

At  last  the  time  for  His  coming  drew  near. 
Do  you  suppose  that  the  news  of  it  was  told 
to  the  richest  and  greatest  people  in  the 
world,  and  that  they  went  to  meet  Him  with 
flags  flying  and  trumpets  blowing,  and  with 
a  gold  crown  ready  to  place  upon  His 
head?  No,  the  news  of  the  coming  of  the 
greatest  Kinf^  the  world  has  ever  known  was 
told  first  to  one  woman.  She  was  young 
and  very  beautiful.  Her  name  was  Mary. 
We  know  that  she  must  have  been  beautiful. 


§f:\ 


3  •■: 


wm 


ft^' 


H 


t  i 


I  I 


148        **Tcll  Mc  a  True  Story" 

btcause  she  was  good  and  sweet  and  loving, 
and  when  people  are  like  that  it  shines  in 
their  faces,  and  they  are  beautiful. 

One  day  she  was  walking  in  a  garden 
thinking  thoughts  that  were  as  sweet  as  the 
flowers  around  her,  when  suddenly  she  saw 
before  her  a  shining  angel.  "  Hail,"  he  said, 
"  blessed  art  thou  among  women."  His  face 
was  so  bright  and  glistening  and  his  words 
were  so  solemn  that  Mary  was  fri  -htened  at 
first.  But  the  angel  spoke  again  and  the 
music  of  his  voice  and  his  wonderful  message 
took  all  fear  from  her  heart. 

"Fear  not,  Mary,"  he  said,  "thoushalt 
have  a  little  child  and  shalt  call  His  name 
Jesus.  He  shall  be  the  King  who  is  coming 
to  save  the  world."  He  was  coming  as  a 
child,  a  little  helples..  baby,  that  great  King, 
and  Mary  was  to  be  His  mother.  Don't  you 
.suppose  that  she  was  radiant  with  happiness? 
3he  was  so  happy  that  she  sang  for  joy.  I 
diink  the  whole  garden  was  filled  with  the 
light  of  the  shining  angel  and  the  music  of 
Mary's  song. 

When  God  told  your  mother  that  He  was 
going  to  send  you  as  a  littk  baby  to  her. 


The  Coming  of  the  King        140 

she  sang  in  her  heart  ior  joy  as  Mary  did. 
She  did  not  see  a  great  glistenijig  angel  per- 
haps, but  she  thouglit  she  heard  the  sound 
of  angels'  wings,  when  she  knew  tliut  you 
were  coming.  And  since  Mary's  baby  was 
the  most  wonderful  baby  that  ever  came 
into  the  world,  her  angel  must  have  been 
the  brightest  that  any  mother  ever  saw  and 
her  song  the  sweetest  that  any  mother  ever 
sang. 

The  day  the  baby  came  to  her  was  the 
first  Christmas  Day,  His  birthday. 


I\ 


M 


ipj' 


uil 


■f^' 


If 


XXX 

The  First  Christmas 

Luke  2:  I-30 

ONE  night  hundreds  of  years    ^'o,  in 
a  country  far  across  the  s»m,  some 
shepherds  were  watching  tht  ir  sheep 
in  the  fif  Ids.     The  stars  were  shiiiii  tj  Krightly 
in  the  deep  blue  sky,  the  wouily  sheep  and 
lambs  were  sleeping  near  by,  and  it  '  as  vry 
still.     The  shepherds  did  not  dare  co  p»  to 
sleep  for  fear  that  a  bear  or  a  wolf  va\^\\\  sceal 
out  of  the  woods,  and  springing  upon  one  of 
their  flock,  carrj'  it  away.     So  they  watched, 
and  while  they  watched  they  talked  together. 
They    were   great   strong  men,  these  shep- 
herds, dressed  in  coarse  clothes  with  crooks 
in  their  hands  and  with  kind  faces ;  and  they 
talked   about   the   coming  of  a  King.     For 
they  knew  that  some  day  a  King  would  come, 
and  they  wondered  how  He  would  look  and 
what  He  would  do. 

"  When  He  comes,"  they  said,  "  He  will 

be  seen  here,   in  Dethlehem,"  for  that  was 

150 


The  First  Christmas  151 

written  in  th'-  Bible.  Then — .•*  wonderful 
thing  happened  I 

Out  ut  the  starry  sky  came  a  beautiful 
shininj^'  angel,  and  around  him  and  the  shep- 
herds shone  a  great  light,  the  light  of  the 
glory  of  the  Lord.  It  was  so  strange 
that  the  shepherds  were  afraid.  "  Fear 
not,"  biiid  the  be  iutiful  angel;  "lor  behold 
1  brin;,'  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy, 
which  .shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you 
is  born  this  day  in  the  eity  of  David  a 
Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord.  And  this 
shall  be  a  sign  unto  you  ,  ye  shall  find  the 
babe  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  lying  in 
a  manger." 

Then  suddenly  there  were  with  the  angel 
mfviiy,  many  other  angels,  their  shining  wings 
oatur.  J,  the  whole  sky  filled  with  their 
li.pl  ■:.:]  'leir  music,  for  they  were  singing 
i;  f.  -v  ';t  St  hymn  the  world  has  ever  heard. 
'  G'  .  >  God  in  the  Highest,  and  on  earth 
tx  '  :c.  2['^--  will  towards  men,"  they  sang, 
uniU  ci"ie  hills  around  echoed  the  music,  and 
even  the  stars  in  the  sky  seemed  to  be  danc- 
ing for  joy. 

Softly  the  music  and  the  light  faded  away 


7W^ 


,52        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

into  heaven,  and  the  night  was  quiet  agdn 
around  the  shepherds.     But  their  hearts  were 
filled  with  gladness ;  the  King  had  come,  the 
King  for  whom  they  had  watched  and  waited, 
and  up  the  steep  path  to  the  town  of  Beth- 
lehem  they  hurried,  their  sheep  followmg 
them.    They   came  to  a  stable,  a  kind   of 
cave,  and  there,  with  the  donkeys,  and  cows 
and  sheep  around  Him.  lay  a  wonderful  little 
baby.     He   was  lying   in  one  of  the  boxes 
the  animals  eat  out  of,  a  manger,  and  He 
vras  wrapped  round  and  round  in  soft  pieces 
of  muslin,  swaddling  clothes  they  are  called. 
So  the  shepherds  knew  He  was  the  Kmg, 
for  had  not  the  angels  said  they  would  f\nd 
Him  "  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  lymg  m 

a  manger"? 

By  His  side  was  His  mother,  tenderly  car- 
ing  for  Him.  as  your  mothers  cared  for  you 
when  you  were  tiny  babies,  just  come  from 

heaven.  .      ,     1      u 

There  in  the  stable  the  shepherds  knelt 

and   worshipped  that  wonderful   Baby,  the 

Child  Jesus,  the  King  for  whom  they  had  so 

long  watched  and  waited. 


Q 


73 

ui 
X 
H 

u, 
o 

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> 

a: 
< 


f; 


I 


r*w 


XXXI 

The  Story  of  the  Wise  Men 

Matt.  2  :  I- 1 2 

HAVE  you  seen  the  stars  shining  in 
the  night?    Some  are  Httle  twink- 
ling ones,  and  others  are  quite  big 
and  bright 

In  the  same  country  I  last  told  you  of  and 
at  that  very  time,  there  were  some  wise  men, 
who  spent  most  of  the  night  watching  the 
stars.  They  named  all  the  big  stars,  and 
counted  all  the  little  ones  they  could  see. 

One  night  three  of  these  wise  men  stood 
in  a  garden,  watching  the  sky.  They  were 
dressed  in  white  woolen  cloaks  and  white 
pointed  caps,  and  had  golden  wings  across 
their  breasts.  They  were  not  counting  the 
stars  that  night,  nor  naming  them,  they  were 
watching  for  a  new  star.  They  had  read 
that  a  new  star  would  arise  in  the  East  to 
show  the  world  that  Christ  was  bom. 

So  every  night  for  months  they  had  stood 
»S3 


M  : 


m 


rpTip*"^ 


154        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

in  the  dark  garden  watching  and  waiting. 
They  began  t(j  wonder  if  they  ever  would  see 
it,  when  suddenly  they  grasped  each  other's 
hands  in  joy.  For  there  in  the  sky  a  new 
star  had  suddenly  appeared,  small,  but  of 
so  wonderful  a  brightness.  Larger  and 
larger  it  grew,  sparkling  and  flashing  through 
the  night,  until  the  light  from  that  one  golden 
star  filled  the  whole  garden. 

"  It  is  the  star,"  cried  the  wise  men,  "  the 
Saviour's  star,  that  shines  with  light  of  gold, 
proclaiming  Christ  the  Lord  has  come,  the 
King  so  long  foretold." 

The  star  moved ;  it  stopped  a  moment  as  if 
waiting  for  them  to  follow,  and  then  very 
slowly  it  moved  again  towards  the  west, 
where  over  many  miles  of  sandy  desert  lay 
the  little  town  of  Bethlehem. 

Outside  the  gate  of  the  garden  stood  three 
camels,  iadcn  with  many  bags  as  if  ready  for 
a  journey.  The  wise  men  mounted  them, 
and  over  the  desert  they  hurried,  in  the  path 
made  light  by  the  new  star.  All  night  they 
travelled,  and  many  days  and  nights,  over 
the  hot  sands,  hardly  stopping  to  eat  or  to 
sleep.     And  always  as  they  travelled  they 


The  Story  of  the  Wise  Men      155 

talked  about  the  King  they  were  going  to 
find,  the  Christ,  who  was  coming  to  teach 
all  people  how  to  be  happy  and  how  to  be 
good. 

At  last  the  desert  was  crossed  and  they 
reached  a  country  where  there  were  many 
green  fitUls.  Over  the  white  roads  they 
hurriid,  the  star  leailing  them,  up  a  steep 
hill  to  a  little  town,  the  town  of  Bethlehem. 
Tne  camels  walked  one  by  one  through  the 
dark,  narrow  streets,  the  star  moved  more 
slowly,  and  the  wise  men  wondered  if  it 
would  lead  them  to  one  of  the  great  palaces. 
But  no,  it  moved  over  those,  then  suddenly 
it  stopped — over  a  very  humble  little  house. 
The  camels  knelt  before  the  door  and  the 
wise  men  stepped  off  to  the  ground.  The 
door  opened  and  what  did  they  see  inside? 
What  did  the  shepherds  see  in  the  stable? 
The  lovely  woman,  with  the  beautiful  baby, 
the  little  Lord  Jesus,  asleep  beside  her. 

They  fell  on  their  knees  before  Him  and 
worshipped  Him.  Then  they  opened  the 
leather  bags  their  camels  had  carried  ;  they 
were  full  of  gold  and  sweet  perfumes,  and 
they    laid    them    at    His    feet.    They    had 


'Wff 


15G        -Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

brought  the  Lord  Jesus  their  most  precious 
treasures. 

Then  quietly,  and  filled  with  happiness 
and  peace,  they  lode  away.  But  all  their 
lives  they  never  forgot  what  they  had  seen, 
the  little  child  Jesus  Christ,  who  came  into 
the  world  to  make  them  and  us,  and  every- 
body, happy  and  good. 


XXXII 
The  Story  of  St.  Christopher 

Old  Legend,  to  be  told  as  such 

SHOULD  you  like  to  hear  a  story 
about  a  giant?  I  knew  you  would. 
His  name  was  Christopher  and  he  was 
a  soldier  giant,  wearing  shining  armour 
and  carrying  a  sword.  The  sword  was 
as  long  as  a  little  fir  tree,  and  Christopher 
was  so  tall  that  he  could  step  from  one  hill  to 
another.  He  fought  for  a  great  king,  and 
every  battle  he  fought  he  won.  He  was  so 
strong  and  warlike  that  people  feared  him, 
but  he  was  so  brave  and  beautiful  that  they 
loved  him  too. 

One  Christmas  Eve  the  great  king  sat  in 
his  hall  with  his  servants  and  soldiers  around 
him.  They  were  singing  Christmas  carols, 
and  Christopher  noticed  that  every  time  the 
name  of  Christ  was  mentioned  the  king 
bowed  his  head. 

'*  Oh,  king,  why  do  you  bow  your  head  ?  " 
»S7 


I 


ff 


Wi 


il 


158         "Tfll  Me  a  True  Story" 

asked  Christopher.  "  Sunly  there  is  no 
greater  one  than  you,  to  wliom  you  must 
bow." 

Then  the  king  told  him  uLout  the  Lord 
Christ,  the  greatest  King,  and  how  no  other 
king  who  ever  lived  was  as  strong  or  as 
wonderful. 

"Then  will  I  sen'e  this  greatest  King," 
s;iid  Christopher,  "for  sa\'c  the  strongest 
ncjue  my  lord  shall  he.  I'll  serve  Him  and 
he  His  forevermore." 

So  down  the  hall  and  out  of  the  castle 
gates  he  went,  in  his  shining  armoi'r,  with  his 
sharp  sword  clanging  at  his  side.  From 
country  to  country  he  wandfrcd  asking 
where  he  could  find  the  grci.t("  t  King, 
the  Lord  Christ,  and  fight  for  H;:n.  At  last 
he  met  a  good  old  man  who  sni  ],  "  My  son, 
the  Lord  Christ  is  above  yon,  in  heaven,  and 
you  cannot  serve  Him  by  figliti-ig  batdes, 
but  in  a  much  harder  way;  yon  must  lay 
aside  your  shining  armour  and  slinrp  sword, 
and  help  all  those  who  arc  snTuring  and  in 
need.  Only  in  that  way  cnn  \  hi  .  rve  the 
grer.test  King,  Christ." 

Near   where   they   were    standing   was   a 


The  Story  of  St.  Christopher       159 

fearful  river ;  it  was  so  deep  and  wide  and 
rushinj;  that  no  one  could  cross  it  safely.  If 
any  one  tried,  his  boat  was  broken  in  pieces 
and  he  was  dashed  upon  the  rocks.  "  Here 
will  I  live,"  said  the  giant  Christopher ;  "and 
carry  across  all  those  who  wish  to  reach  the 
other  side  of  the  river." 

He  took  oil  his  shining  armour  and  his 
sharp  sword,  and  instead  he  pulled  a  tree 
up  by  its  roots  and  used  it  for  a  stafl.  By 
the  riverside  he  built  ;i  hut,  and  there,  alone, 
he  lived.  But  always  he  was  ready  to  carry 
people  over  the  rushing  river,  by  day  or  by 
night,  in  sunshine  or  in  storm. 

At  last  Christmas  Eve  came  again.  It 
was  a  dreadful  night,  snowing  and  hailing 
and  blowing  hnil.  The  hut  rocked  in  the 
storm,  and  Christopher  thought.  "Surely  no 
one  will  venture  out  a  night  like  this."  But 
just  then  he  heard  a  voice  calling,  "  Christo- 
pher, Christopher,  come  and  e.'.rry  me  across 
the  rivei,  I  pray  you."  So  out  into  the  snow 
and  storm  he  vent,  and  there  what  do  you 
suppose  he  louiul  ?     A  little  boy 

Christophir  was  filled  with  surprise,  but  he 
thought   the  child    must  ha\'e  lost  his  way„ 


1 


i6o         »*TeU  Me  a  True  Story - 

and  liliing  him  upon  his  strong  shoulders  he 
started  to  cross  the  raging  river.  The  wind 
beat  him  back,  the  snow  blinded  his  eyes, 
and  the  river  rushed  and  roared  around  him. 
That  was  all  hard,  but  the  hardest  part  was 
the  weight  of  the  littlo  boy.  He  seemed  to 
grow  heavier  and  heavier  until  Christophei 
could  hardly  stand  up.  On  he  pushed  and 
struggled  until,  at  last,  worn  out,  he  reached 
the  other  side  and  put  the  child  down.  "  My 
child,"  he  said,  in  wonder,  "who  are  you? 
It  seemed  as  if  I  were  carrying,  not  a  child, 
but  a  mountain,  no,  a  world." 

The  little  boy  stood  up  and  a  beautiful 
lip. II  came  all  about  him.  "I  am  the  Lord 
Christ,"  He  said,  "  whom  you  have  longed 
to  fmd,  whose  servant  you  have  been.  And 
now  you  must  leave  this  lonely  place  and 
go  to  far-away  lands,  where  people  never 
heard  of  Me,  and  tell  them  of  My  love  for 
them."  Then  He  put  His  hand  on  Chris- 
topher's staff.  "  Plant  this,"  He  said,  "  and  it 
will  blossom,  to  show  you  that  I  am  with 
you." 

He  was  gone.     But  the  snow  had  stopped, 
the  wind  was  quiet,  the  bright  stars  shone  in 


The  Story  of  St.  Christopher       l6i 

the  sky  as  Christophf  wadeJ  back  acrDss 
the  river.  In  the  jfrounu  beside  his  hut  he 
|)laiUL'd  his  stafl,  the  de.id  tree,  and  when  the 
first  rays  of  morninj;  light  ht  up  the  sky, 
the  staf!  was  covered  wiili  the  most  beau 
tiful  blossoms. 

So  Christopher  knew  that  he  had  not  oni> 
dreamed  of  the  Lord  Christ,  he  had  really 
seen  Him  and  carried  Him  across  the  river. 

Then,  with  joy  in  his  heart,  he  went  to 
the  far-away  lands,  and  taught  all  the  poor 
people  there  about  Jesus,  the  greatest  King, 
until  they  too  became  His  followers,  loving 
Him  and  serving  Him  as  Christopher  did. 


1 


MICROCOPY   RESOIUTION   TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  21 


12.2 


13.2 


fii 


116 

1 40 


2.0 


1.8 


^     APPLIED  IIVMGE 


1653   East   Main   street 

Rochester,   Ne»   York        14609       USA 

(716)   482  -  0300  -  Phone 

(716)   288-  5989  -  Fa, 


XXXIII 

The  Boyhood  of  Jesus 

Luke  2:  40,  51,  52. 

WHEN  Jesus  was  a  boy  He  lived  in 
a  very  beautiful  country.  There 
was  a  high  green  hill  there,  and 
at  its  foot  lay  a  little  village,  its  white  stone 
houses  and  churches  shining  in  the  sun. 
That  was  the  village  of  Nazareth,  the  home 
of  Mary  and  Joseph.  It  was  a  quiet  place, 
many  gardens  full  of  bright  flowers  were 
scattered  between  the  small  houses,  and  a 
clear  fountain  bubbled  up  in  the  centre  of  the 
place,  where  every  one  who  wanted  water  to 
drink  or  wash  with  had  to  go  and  take  it 
home  in  jars  which  were  carried  on  the 
shoulders. 

Let  us  make  believe  we  once  walked 
through  those  streets  on  our  way  to  the 
home  of  Jesus.  We  should  have  passed  the 
fountain  round  which  boys  are  playing,  boys 

dressed  in  bright  coloured  cloth  :s,  with  red 

162 


The  Boyhood  of  Jesus 


163 


caps  on  their  heads;  we  should  have  seen 
some  gardens  and  then  we  should  have  come 
to  a  tiny  cottage.  It  was  square  and  white, 
green  vines  covered  its  walls,  and  cooing 
doves  were  sunning  themselves  on  the  roof. 
A  little  porch  was  outside,  and  inside  was 
only  one  room,  but  that  was  very  fresh  and 
clean.  In  the  evening  the  room  was  lighted 
by  a  brass  lamp  which  hung  from  the  centre 
of  the  ceiling.  Here  the  family  would  gather, 
seated  on  the  floor  in  a  circle  around  a 
painted  stool  on  which  was  placed  a  tray 
with  rice  and  fruits,  or  rice  and  meat.  This 
was  their  supper,  and  each  one  helped  him- 
self in  turn  from  the  tray.  On  a  ledge  run- 
ning around  the  room  were  neady  rolled, 
brighdy-coloured  quilts.  They  were  the 
beds,  which  at  night  were  taken  down  and 
rolled  out  on  the  floor.  Each  member  of 
the  family  curled  up  upon  one  and  went 
to  sleep.  The  only  furniture  in  the  room, 
besides  the  lamp  and  the  stool,  was  a  wooden 
chest,  painted  in  pretty  colours,  in  which 
books  and  pictures  were  kept. 

Long  ago  a  bench  used  to  be  placed  on 
the  porch  in  the  daytime,  and  there  Joseph, 


J 


'^1 


■^f 


J64         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

the  father  of  the  house,  worked  with  a  saw 
and  hammer,  for  he  was  a  carpenter.  And 
what  do  you  suppose  Jesus  did  all  day  ?  He 
went  to  school  with  the  other  boys  and 
played  with  them  round  the  fountain,  and 
perhaps  He  sometimes  climbed  with  them  to 
the  top  of  the  green  hill,  on  which  the  tovvn 
was  built,  and  from  the  top  of  which  on  a 
clear  day  one  could  see  the  blue  sea. 

But  most  of  the  time  I  think  He  was  at 
home,  helping  His  mother  by  taking  care  of 
the  smaller  children,  or  working  at  the  car- 
penter's bench  with  Joseph,  for  He  too  was 
going  to  be  a  carpenter.  In  the  evening 
when  the  bench  had  been  put  away  He 
walked  to  the  fountain  with  His  mother. 
She  wore  a  long  blue  dress  and  a  white  veil 
over  her  head,  and  carried  a  brown  water 
pitcher  on  her  shoulder.  Perhaps  Jesus  car- 
ried one  there  too,  and  they  brought  back 
water  enough  for  the  evening  meal. 

Mary  worked  hard,  making  bread  in  the 
evening  and  baking  it  in  the  morning  when 
it  had  risen  high  and  white,  making  clothes 
out  of  red  and  blue  cloth,  for  the  children,  for 
there  were  other  children  all  younger  than 


\n 


J     »I 


m  ,  ■  .-A 


The  Boyhood  of  Jesus 


165 


Jesus,  and  keeping  the  Httle  house  always 
clean  and  sweet.  After  supper  I  think  they 
sat  on  the  nxA  of  the  cottage,  which  was 
reached  by  a  little  staircase  outside.  The 
stars  ..hoivj  brightly  above  them,  and  Mary 
told  Jesus  stories  about  Ruth  gathering 
barley,  and  about  David  taking  care  of  his 
sheep  an  1  playing  his  harp,  and  killing  the 
giant. 

In  the  morning  and  evening  Joseph  called 
his  family  around  him  and  prayed  God  to 
keep  them  all  day  and  to  take  care  of  them 
all  night.  On  the  Sabbath  they  went  to- 
gether to  the  little  village  church  and  after 
church  the  children  went  to  school  just  as  we 
go  to  Sunday-school. 

So  Jesus  grew  up,  tall  and  strong  and 
good.  He  learnt  many  things  from  Joseph 
and  Mary,  and  at  school,  and  from  the 
country  around  His  home.  Every  one  loved 
Him  and  liked  to  be  with  Him,  and  His 
Heavenly  Father  loved  Him  too. 


XXXIV 
Jesus  the  Carpenter 

Mark  6:3;  Luke  4 :  31-41 

WHO  made  these  tables  and  chairs? 
A  carpenter. 
Think  of  how  many  things  the 
carpenter  does  for  us.     In  our  last  story  we 
talked  about  a  very  wonderful  person  who 
was  a  carpenter.     Who  was  He?    The  chil- 
dren in  the  village  where  He  lived  often  saw 
Him  going  home  in  the  evening  with  His  car- 
penter's tools.     You  know  what  those  are. 

There   have  been  many  good  carpenters 
in  the  world,  but  I  am  sure  Jesus  was  a 
better  workman  than  any  of  them.     I  like  to 
think  that  if  anything  in  the  village  needed 
fixing  or  mending  it  was  brought  to  Him. 
Sometimes  a  shepherd  wo  Id  ask  Him  to 
come  to  the  sheepfold  to  mend  a  gate  which 
perhaps  had  been  broken  by  a  wolf  trying 
to    get   in.     Or   a   farmer   would    send   for 
Him   to  mend  a  stall  in  his  stable,  or  to 
make  a  manger.    The  work  was  always  well 

166 


Jesus  the 

Carpenter 

^ 

done, 

the 

nails   wen 

t   struck   r 

ght 

on 

the 

head, 

the 

wood  was 

p;o:  d  and 

strong 

and 

was  sawed  and  planed  strait;ht  rtiid  smooth. 
After  the  day's  work  uiicn  Jesus  was  tired, 
He  walked  up  the  mountain  behind  the  vil- 
lage, where  He  used  to  climb  when  a  boy,  and 
there  under  the  stars,  kneeling  on  the  grass, 
H  ■  pniyed  to  God.  Then  down  the  steep 
li;  le  path  He  would  go  back,  bright  and 
suong,  ready  to  work  again  when  morning 
came.  The  people  of  the  village  of  Nazareth 
did  not  knoy  what  a  wonderful  person  He 
was.  They  called  Him  "the  Carpenter," 
and  they  knew  that  He  was  a  good  t)ne. 
They  supposed  that  He  would  always  stay  in 
their  little  village,  mending  their  plows  and 
yokes  and  making  new  ones.  But  Jesus 
knew  that  some  day  He  must  leave  the  car- 
penter's bench  and  go  out  into  the  cities, 
where  there  were  greater  things  for  Him  to 
mend  than  the  little  mangers,  and  sheepfolds, 
and  plows.  He  knew  that  the  world  was  full 
of  other  broken  things,  men  and  women  with 
broken  bodies  and  with  broken  hearts.  You 
have  seen  people  with  broken  bodies,  have 
you  not?    People  who  are  lame,  and  deat 


m.j^ 


Uf 


h 


1 68         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

and  blind.     There  were  many  of  them  in  the 
country  where  Jesus  lived,  aiul  tl.ere  were 
many  more  who  were  bo  wicked  or  so  u.i- 
hapi)y  that  it  seemed  as  if  their  hearts  were 
broken.     So  Jesus  left  this  home  at  Nazareth 
when  He  was  thirt}-  years  old,  and  went  to  a 
city  not  far  from  there  to  mend  the  hearts  and 
bodies  of  those  poor,  broken  men  and  women. 
There  one  morning  He  we-.it  to  the  great 
white  marble  church  to  preach.     The  church 
was  on  the  edge  of  a  large  blue  lake,  and 
everything  looked  very  beautiful  and  peace- 
ful. 

Jesus  began  to  preach  and  ev  xy  one  in 
the  ch.-rch  sat  quietly  listening  to  Him, 
for  they  had  never  heard  any  one  preach  as 
He  did.  Some  of  the  broken-hearted  people 
were  there,  and  as  Jesus  told  them  God's 
great  love  for  them,  the  sad  ones  began  tu 
forget  their  sorrows,  and  the  bad  ones  began 
to  long  to  be  good.  Then  suddenly  a  wild  cry 
rang  out  in  the  back  of  the  church.  A  poor 
man,  whose  body  was  almost  worn  out  with 
a  terrible  disease,  had  slipped  in  among  the 
listeners,  and  was  screaming  with  pain.  At 
once  Jesus  stopped  preaching,  and  turning 


Jt'sus  the  Cirpcntcr 


169 


n 


\ ' 


to  the  suflerini^  man,  He  spoke  to  him  very 
quietly  and  sweetly.  The  man  lay  scream- 
ing on  the  white  stone  lloor,  but  as  Jesus 
spoke  he  grew  quiet,  the  pain  left  him  and 
he  stuuJ  up,  \  h'lWj  and  well. 

Oh,  the  pei  >[jle  were  so  amazed  !  Aa  they 
went  out  of  ehurch  they  could  talk  of  nothing 
else  ami  they  told  the  story  to  everybody 
they  niet. 

Then  Jesus  walked  through  thesunny  street 
to  the  home  of  a  friend  of  His  named  IVter. 
An  old  grandmother  lived  there  and  Peter 
was  sad  because  she  was  very  ill,  tossing  ,Vom 
one  side  of  the  bod  to  the  other,  burning  with 
fever.  What  do  you  su{)pose  was  the  first 
question  Peter  asked  Jesus  when  He  came 
irto  the  house  ?  How  to  cure  her.  So  Jesus 
stood  by  the  bedside,  gentle  and  strong  and 
loving.  He  took  the  grandmother's  hand  in 
His  and  spoke  a  few  words.  At  once  the 
fever  t  her  ;  she  was  all  well,  and  getting  up 
offered  them  food  and  drink. 

That  same  evening  the  most  wondcr'ul 
thing  happened.  As  the  sun  was  setting  be- 
hind the  hills  around  the  lake,  the  most 
wretched  -^rowd  of  people  you  can  think  of 


'^• 


ijo        "Tell  Mt  a  True  Story" 

gathcrt'd  at  the  door  of  Pttcr's  hous"?.  All 
the  sick  of  the  whole  lity  were  brought 
by  their  family  or  friends  to  Jrsus  to  be 
healed.  The  lame  were  carried  to  Iliin  ;  die 
blind  were  led ;  men  and  women  were  brought, 
moaning  with  pain  on  their  beds.  Mothers 
carried  their  sick  little  babies,  and  children 
led  old  grandfathers  and  grandmothers. 
They  were  all  sick,  suffering,  and  wretched. 
But  among  them  moved  Jesus,  His  beautiful 
face  shining  w  ith  love  and  tenderness.  He 
put  His  hands  upon  them  one  by  one,  saying 
a  few  quiet  words  to  one,  smiling  at  another, 
taking  the  poor,  white-faced  little  babies  in 
His  arms.  And  as  He  touched  them,  all  the 
pain  left  them,  the  colour  came  back  to  their 
checks,  they  walked  and  were  well.  As  it 
grew  dark  and  Mie  stars  came  out  the  crowd 
scattered,  the  blind  seeing,  the  deaf  hearing, 
the  lame  and  sick  walking,  and  the  litde 
babies  sleeping  sweetly  in  their  mothers' 
arms. 

Jesus  was  a  carpenter  first,  you  remem- 
ber, makini^  .ingers  and  mending  sheep- 
folds,  rie  left  the  carpenter's  bench  to  mend 
the  hearts  and  bodies  of  the  poor,  suffering 


Jesus  the  Carpenter  171 

pt'oplc  around  Him,  and  H'-  has  been  duing 
that  ever  since,  He  has  never  stopped.  We 
can  go  tf  Him  as  the  people  did  that  even- 
ing beside  the  lake.  We  cannot  see  Him  be- 
side us,  .^r  feel  the  touch  »  '  His  hand,  but 
we  know  that  He  is  near,  and  that  H*;  is  able 
to  mend  our  hearts  when  we  are  unhappy, 
and  to  comfort  us  when  our  bodies  arc  sick 
and  broken.  He  can  make  us  as  joyful  as 
the  people  v  ore  that  niglit  in  the  happy  ci'y, 
when  all  the  learts  and  bodies  were  mended. 


!  I 


TO 


*-  '      l...-.J!L«J!"J"  I 


XXXV 

Jesus  and  a  Little  Girl 

Mark  5  .•  21-24,  jj  to  end 

DO  you  remember  how  you  felt  when 
you  were  sick?  It  isn't  any  fun  to 
be  reaJIy  sick,  is  it?  When  you 
have  to  stay  in  bed  day  after  day  and  you 
don't  want  anything  to  eat,  and  your  pillow 
gets  hot,  and  the  noise  the  other  children 
make  hurts  your  head. 

There  was  once  a  little  girl  who  was  sick 
like  that,  many,  many  years  ago.  She  lived 
in  a  big  beautiful  house  in  the  country,  and 
her  father  was  a  ruler,  a  great  man  and  very 
rich.  She  was  the  only  litde  girl  in  the  family 
and  her  father  and  mother  loved  her  with  all 
their  hearts.  They  would  have  spent  all  their 
money  gladly  if  it  would  have  cured  her. 
They  would  have  done  anything  in  the  world 
to  see  the  colour  come  back  to  her  cheeks,  to 
see  her  smile  again.     But  day  by  day  she 

grew  weaker  and  weaker,  until  they  feared 

173 


I'll 


Jesus  and  a  Little  Girl 


>73 


she  would  never  get  well.  She  lay  very  white 
and  still,  with  closed  eyes,  hardly  breathing. 
Then  the  father  heard  that  a  great  teacher 
had  come  to  that  part  of  the  country,  a  man 
who  healed  many  who  were  sick  and  who  was 
very  good  to  little  children.  Do  you  know 
who  it  was?  It  was  Jesus;  and  as  soon  as 
the  father  found  that  He  was  near  he  hurried 
to  Him. 

The  Master  had  many  people  around  Him 
as  He  talked  to  them.  But  the  ruler  made 
his  way  through  the  crowd  and  fell  at  His 
feet.  "  My  little  daughter  is  dying,"  he  cried ; 
"  I  pray  Thee  come  and  lay  Thy  hands  upon 
her,  that  she  may  be  healed,  and  she  shall 
live."  At  once  Jesus  stood  up  and  went 
with  him  and  the  crowd  followed  Him. 
They  couldn't  walk  very  fast  with  so  many 
people  around  them.  Some  were  trying  to 
get  near  Jesus  so  that  they  might  see  His 
face,  or  touch  His  clothes,  and  it  took  a  long 
time  to  walk  to  the  ruler's  house.  Before 
they  reached  it,  a  messenger  came  to  meet 
them,  sent  by  the  little  girl's  mother.  He 
drew  the  ruler  aside  and  said,  "  Thy  daughter 
is  dead.     Why  troublest  thou  the  Master  ?  " 


174        ''Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

But  Jesus  heard  what  the  messenger  said, 
and  saw  ihe  hxjk  of  suffering  on  the  poor 
father's  face,  aud  said,  "  Be  not  afraid,  only 
believe." 

When  they  reached  the  ruler's  beautiful 
house,  with  the  bright  gardens  and  big  trees 
around  it,  the  doors  were  thrown  wide  open 
and  through  them  came  the  noise  of  crying, 
and  the  music  of  flutes.     In  that  country,  as 
soon  as  any  one  died,  the  friends  paid  people 
to  come  and  cry  and  to  put  ashes  on  their 
heads,  and  to  play  sad  tunes  on  their  flutes. 
The  paid  people  did  not  really  feel  sad  at 
all,  they  just  cried  because  they  were  given 
money  to  do  it.     Jesus  asked  them  why  they 
made  this  noise.     "The  little  maid   is  not 
dead,  but  sleepeth,"  He  said.     When   they 
heard  that  they  all  laughed,  for  they  did  not 
believe  Him,  and  He  sent  them  away.    Then 
He  turned  to  the  poor  mother.     She  wasn't 
sobbing  and  tearing  her  hair,  like  the  paid 
people,  but  she  was  sadder  than  any  of  them. 
Her  dear  little  girl  was  dead,  and  it  seemed 
to  her  that  all  the  light  and  brightness  had 
gone  out  of  the  world, 
Jesus  took  her,  and  the  father,  and  three  of 


Jesus  and  a  Little  Girl 


»75 


His  disciples  into  the  room  where  the  child 
lay ;  she  was  very  still  and  white  and  her 
breaUiing  had  quite  stopped.  Very  tenderly 
He  bent  over  her.  He  took  her  small  cold 
hand  in  His,  and  said,  "  Little  maid,  arise." 
Then  the  colour  came  back  into  the  little 
girl's  cheeks,  and  opening  her  eyes  she  got 
up  and  stood  before  them,  well  and  strong. 

Oh,  how  joyful  the  mother  and  father  must 
have  been  !  They  could  hardly  believe  that 
their  child  was  alive  and  well  agaii..  To 
make  them  understand  that  it  was  all  true, 
Jesus  told  them  to  give  her  something  to  eat. 
Such  a  happy  supper  that  must  have  been  I 
And  I  think  that  all  the  rest  of  the  little  girl's 
life  was  a  happy  one.  She  must  have  always 
remembered  the  wonderful  touch  of  Jesus' 
hand  when  He  had  healed  her,  and  the 
beautiful  face  which  she  saw  when  she  first 
opened  her  eyes.  He  had  given  her  back 
her  life,  because  her  mother  and  father 
needed  her,  and  because  He  needed  her  also, 
to  be  well  and  happy  and  to  do  His  work  ir 
the  world. 

He  gives  us  our  lives,  too.     What  do  you 
do  every  morning?    You  open  your  eyes, 


i 


3'jr^mm 


'i|." 


176        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

and  waka  up,  don't  you  ?    That  was  what  the 
ruler's  little  girl  did  when  Jesus  took  her 
hand.     She  woke  up.     He  gives  us  our  life 
every  single  morning,  when  the  night's  sleep 
is    over.    To-morrow    morning    when    you 
wake  up,  I  want  you  to  think  of  that.     Think 
of  the  little  girl  who  was  lying  more  asleep 
than  you  have  been  all  night,  and  think  of 
Jesus  strong  and  loving  standing  by  her  side, 
holding  her  hand  and  saying :     "  Litti  -  maid, 
arise."    Then  say  to  yourself :    "  He  is  say- 
ing that  to  me,  too."     And  try  all  day  to  use 
the  life  He  gives  you  in  your  hands,  and  feet, 
and  eyes,  and  lips,  to  please  Him. 


XXXVI 

Jesus  and  the  Children 

Mark  ju:  Jj-i6 

WHENEVER  Jesus  taught  or  talked, 
great  crowds  cohected  around 
Him,  eagerly  listening  to  every 
word  He  spoke.  All  kinds  of  people  vvere  in 
the  crowds,  rich  men  and  poor  men,  soldiers 
with  swords  by  their  sides,  and  priests  in 
long,  white  garments  with  coloured  embroid- 
eries and  fringes.  Do  you  suppose  that  with 
such  a  number  of  people  around  Him,  all 
pressing  close  for  a  sight  of  His  face,  all 
listening  to  His  words,  that  He  ever  had 
time  to  stop  and  talk  to  little  children? 
When  you  have  heard  this  story  I  think 
you  will  know. 

One  day  there  were  many  persons  stand- 
ing about  Jesus,  listening  to  the  wonderful 
words  He  spoke,  when,  a  litde  outside  tht 
crowd,  some  women  and  children  gathered. 

They  had  come  o;it  of  the  white  houses  which 

177 


If 


178         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

covered  the  green  hillsides.  They  wore  red 
and  blue  dresses  and  had  handkerchiefs  over 
their  heads,  for  they  were  poor  women,  and 
the  children  had  litde  clothing.  Some  of  the 
women  carried  babies,  others  held  little  ones 
by  the  hand,  while  boys  and  girls  ran  behind 
them,  clinging  to  their  skirts. 

Through  the  crowd  they  all  pressed  until 
they  reached  Jesus.  Then  the  mothers,  bring  • 
ing  their  children  to  Him,  asked  Him  to  bless 
them,  to  put  His  hands  upon  their  heads  and 
pray  for  them.  There  were  so  many  of  them, 
babies  and  children,  boys  and  girls,  all  push- 
ing close  to  Jesus, — for  they  loved  Him  as 
soon  as  they  saw  His  beautiful,  kind  face, — 
that  His  friends  stopped  the  mothers,  and 
told  the  children  to  run  away.  But  when 
Jesus  saw  that  He  was  displeased  and  said, 
"  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  Me, 
and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven." 

Then  He  not  only  let  them  come  to  Him, 
but  He  took  the  babies  up  in  His  arms, 
and  laid  His  hands  on  the  heads  of  the  little 
boys  and  girls,  or  put  His  arm  around  them, 
and  blessed  them  all. 


■r. 


■Si 


\\\ 


1 1 


Jesus  and  the  Children 


>79 


It  would  have  been  very  beautiful  to  be 
one  of  those  children,  would  it  not?  To 
have  had  Jesus  put  His  arm  around  you,  to 
have  looked  up  into  His  face  and  to  have 
seen  His  smile  when  He  blessed  you.  But 
do  you  know  that  you  can  be  just  as  near 
Him  to-day  as  those  children  were?  Every 
day  in  our  prayers  we  can  talk  to  Him,  and 
He  can  hear  us.  He  is  with  us  every  min- 
ute, loving  us  and  taking  care  of  us,  both 
when  we  are  children,  and  when  we  grow  up. 


m 


f = 


fWi 


r 


XXXVII 
The  Good  Shepherd 

John  JO  :  j~j8 

YOU  have  all  seen  sheep^the  big  ones 
and  the  little  lambs.  More  than 
most  animals,  they  need  some  one 
to  take  care  of  them.  It  may  be  a  man  or  a 
boy,  or  even  a  dog.     That  is  the  shepherd. 

In  a  country  far  from  here,  there  were 
many  sheep,  and  lambs,  and  shepherds.  If 
you  went  for  a  walk  you  would  see  every 
little  while  a  flock  lying  on  the  ground  or 
feeding,  or  meet  them  blocking  up  the  road, 
with  the  shepherd  always  near  them.  In 
that  country  when  the  sheep  moved  from  one 
place  to  another,  the  shepherd  always  went 
first.  At  night  the  shepherd  brought  them 
back  to  their  home ;  it  was  called  a  sheep- 
fold.  It  had  no  roof  and  it  must  have  been 
pretty  cold  sometimes,  especially  for  baby 
lambs. 

When  the  sheep  had  eaten  all  the  grass 
1 80 


.11; 


II 


-  il 


THE   GOOD   SHEPHERD 


I  i 


mJT^^ 


The  Good  Shepherd 


181 


near  the  fold,  the  shepherd  would  take  them 
farther  away,  too  far  to  walk  back  at  night 
So  they  would  lie  down  on  the  j^rouud  under 
the  stars,  with  no  fold  around  them,  and  the 
shepherd  would  lie  down  too.  But  he  could 
not  sleep ;  he  had  to  keep  his  eyes  open  to 
see  that  no  harm  came  to  his  flock,  and  that 
no  wolf  nor  bear  »ior  lion  crept  up  in  the 
darkness  and  carried  off  a  sheep  or  a  Iamb. 

Once  there  was  a  fold  full  of  sheep  and 
lambs.  The  shepherd  had  put  them  all  in, 
and  then  he  had  shut  the  door  and  gone  to 
his  own  house  to  sleep.  At  first  the  lambs 
cried  after  him,  Baa-baa,  but  alter  a  while 
they  cuddled  up  to  their  mothers'  warm, 
woolly  sides  and  went  to  sleep.  Suddenly 
they  waked  up  and  listened.  Some  one  was 
calling  them,  but  it  was  not  their  shepherd, 
their  dear  master.  His  voice  they  k;  w  ;  it 
was  sweet  and  clear,  but  this  voice  was  harsh 
and  rough.  It  was  calling  to  the  sheep  to 
follow,  but  they  did  not  move,  they  would 
follow  no  one  but  their  shepherd. 

Then  the  man,  who  had  been  calling  with 
the  rough  voice,  climbed  over  the  side  of  the 
fold.     He  did  not  dare  open  the  door.     The 


■4 


f 


-;-f- 


182         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

sheep  ran  to  the  corner,  crowding  close  to 
y:cthcr,  but  he  lifted  them  up  one  after  an- 
other, and  dropped  them  over  outside  of  the 
fold.  He  was  a  thief  and  was  going  to  steal 
them.  He  climbed  over  after  them  and 
drove  them  ahead  of  him,  for  they  would  not 
have  followed  him.  He  drove  them  away 
from  the  fold  and  away  from  the  good  shep- 
herd's house. 

Suddenly,  out  of  the  woods  near  by,  came 
a  wolf.  The  thief  saw  him  as  he  came  nearer 
towards  the  flock,  and  was  filled  with  fear ; 
he  did  not  mind  the  sheep's  being  killed,  but 
he  was  afraid  the  wolf  would  hurt  him.  He 
turned  and  ran,  leaving  the  poor  sheep  and 
the  crying  lambs  alone  in  the  dark.  Then  a 
voice  rang  out,  a  voice  the  sheep  all  knew, 
the  dear  voice  of  their  good  shepherd.  He 
had  been  to  the  fold  to  see  if  his  sheep  were 
safe  and  warm,  and  found  it  empty.  As  fast 
as  he  could  he  had  followed  them,  and  now 
he  had  come  just  in  time.  With  a  bleat  of 
joy  the  flock  ran  to  him  crowding  close  be- 
hind him.  The  wolf  was  coming  nearer  and 
nearer,  but  the  shepherd  did  not  move.  He 
never  thought  of  leaving  his  sheep ;  he  was 


■:4:lf  'tt 


ini 


The  Good  Shepherd 


183 


willing  to  let  the  wolf  kill  him  if  in  that  way 
he  could  save  them. 

The  wolf  stood  ready  to  spring,  looking 
up  fiercely  into  the  shepherd's  face,  then  he 
stopped  still.  The  shepherd's  eyes  were  so 
steady,  he  looked  so  strong  and  brave,  that 
even  the  wolf  did  not  dare  touch  him,  and 
turning  slowly,  crept  away  into  the  forest. 

Then  the  good  shepherd  led  the  flock  back 
to  the  fold.  The  sheep  followed  close  behind 
him,  and  the  little  lambs  ran  bleating  about 
his  feet,  while  he  carried  the  littlest  one  in 
his  arms.  As  they  reached  the  fold  the  sky 
grew  bright  with  the  rising  sun,  and  the 
sheep  knew  there  was  nothing  more  for  them 
to  fear. 


u 


T, 


l^  t   '  I 


XXXVIII 
The  Lost  Sheep 

DO  you  remember  the  story  about  the 
good  shepherd  ?  He  had  a  big  flock 
of  sheep,  you  know.  There  were  a 
hundred  of  them,  white  and  black,  fat  and 
thin,  old  sheep  and  little  baby  lambs.  He 
loved  them  all  so  much,  you  remember,  that 
he  was  ready  to  let  the  wolf  kill  him  to  save 
them. 

One  day  he  lost  one  of  his  lambs.  He  had 
taken  them  far  off  on  the  mountains,  where 
there  was  green  grass  and  a  fresh  little  stream. 
The  sun  had  been  shining  brightly  in  the 
morning  and  the  sheep  had  had  a  beautiful 
time,  eating  the  grass  and  then  lying  by  the 
stream  in  the  shade  of  the  trees.  But  in  the 
afternoon  a  big  black  cloud  appeared  in  the 
sky;  there  was  a  flash  of  lightning,  and  a 
rumbling  of  thunder.     The  shepherd  called 

the  sheep  together  and  started  towards  home. 

184 


SS'^T^-iSW 


^Ml 


The  Lost  Siieep 


185 


Then  the  rain  began  to  fall  and  the  shepherd 
put  the  smallest  lamb  under  his  cloak  and 
carried  it.  There  were  rough  places  to  climb 
and  streams  to  cross  on  the  way  to  the  fold, 
and  although  the  shepherd  helped  them  and 
lifted  many  over  the  streams,  they  got  wet 
and  dirty  before  they  reached  home.  In 
one  place  the  path  led  along  the  edge  of 
the  sea.  A  great  rock  there  had  cracked 
in  the  middle  and  you  could  look  far  down 
between  the  two  pieces  of  stone  to  where  the 
sea  came  breaking  in  on  the  beach  below. 

Some  of  the  sheep  started  to  climb  over 
the  rock,  but  the  shepherd  called  them  back 
and  led  them  around  it.  When  they  went 
on  one  little  lamb  was  missing,  but  the 
shepherd  w  as  hurrying  them  on  in  the  storm 
and  he  did  not  notice  it  then.  P'lt  when  they 
reached  the  sheepfold  he  openea  the  door  and 
counted  them  as  they  ran  in,  ninety-seven, 
ninety-eight,  ninety-nine — that  was  all,  the 
hundredth  was  not  there,  it  was  lost  I 

It  was  dark  by  that  time  and  storming 
hard.  Do  you  think  the  shepherd  went  back 
over  the  rough  way  to  find  that  little  lost 
lamb  ?    Indeed  he  did ;  right  off  he  turned, 


J 


^ 


ffWij 


r'P^ 


186        **Tell  Me  a  True  Story* 

leaving  the  ninety-nine,  and  went  slowly, 
carefully,  over  every  step  of  the  way  he  had 
taken.  He  carried  a  lantern  in  his  hand,  and 
he  called  the  lamb  softly  as  he  went.  Every 
now  and  then  he  stopped  to  listen.  What 
was  he  I'stening  for  ?  To  hear  the  lamb  if  it 
were  crying  alone  in  the  dark,  so  that  he 
coi:M  know  where  it  was. 

W  hen  he  got  to  the  split  rock  by  the  sea- 
shore he  stopped  and  called  again,  lifting  the 
lantern  high  over  his  head,  but  he  did  ^ot 
see  an}  little  white  animal  lying  there.  1  hen 
he  heard  p  mething.  It  was  faint  and 
soundc"'  .^r  away,  but  it  was  the  bleating  of 
tha*  littl  J  lamb.  Where  do  you  think  it  was  ? 
It  had  fallen  between  the  two  pieces  of  rock, 
and  was  lying  far  below  on  the  beach.  Its 
leg  was  broken  so  it  could  not  move,  but  it 
had  heard  the  shepherd's  call  and  had  seen 
the  light  from  his  lantern,  and  it  cried  back 
Baa-baa  1 

Down  the  steep  rock  the  shepherd  climbed. 
It  was  hard  work,  for  the  stone  sides  were 
slipper)'  and  it  was  deep  and  dark  between 
the  rocks.  But  the  shepherd  did  not  mind. 
It  was  harder  work  getting  back,  with  the  litde 


The  Lost  Sheep 


187 


animal  on  his  shoulder,  but  he  was  happy,  so 
happy,  because  he  had  found  his  lust  lamb. 
He  sang  and  rejoiced  all  the  way  back  in  the 
darkness  and  the  storm.  When  he  reached 
home  he  called  his  friends  and  neighbours 
together.  "  Rejoice  with  me,"  he  said,  "  for  I 
have  found  my  lamb  which  was  lost." 

It  was  Jesus  who  told  this  story  to  His 
friends.  He  wanted  to  show  them  how  much 
He  loved  every  one  of  them  and  every  one 
V)f  us.  We  are  all  His  sheep,  or  His  little 
lambs,  and  He  is  the  great  shepherd  of  the 
sheep ;  He  loves  us  even  more  than  that  good 
shepherd  loved  his  sheep.  He  can  save  us 
from  worse  things  than  wolves ;  and  when 
one  of  us  does  wrong,  that  is  like  the  little 
lamb  getting  lost.  But  if  we  call  to  Him 
He  comes  and  carries  us  back  in  His  arms  to 
be  go -id  agaia 


XXXIX 


^^^^p 


The  Lost  Money 

Luke  /J,-  S-io 

WE  have  had  the  story  of  the  shep- 
herd who  searched  for  hours  in 
darkness  and  storm,  to  find  one 
little  lamb  that  was  lost.  Why  did  he  do  it  ? 
Because  he  dearly  loved  his  sheep,  and  each 
one  was  very  precious  in  his  sight. 

I  heard  of  a  woman  once  who  had  lost 
something,  and  will  tell  you  what  she  did  to 
find  it.  She  lived  a  long  time  ago,  in  a 
country  where  poor  people's  houses  had  only 
one  room  in  them.  There  was  no  window 
in  those  houses,  and  the  only  light  came 
through  the  open  door.  So  you.  see  if  any- 
thing got  lost  there  it  was  hiird  to  find  it 
This  woman  had  several  children  and  it  took 
all  her  time  to  earn  money  enough  to  buy 
food  and  clothes  for  them.  Besides  that  she 
was  trying  to  save  a  little.  Every  v/eek  she 
took  a  piece  of  silver  money,  as  much  as  our 

twenty-five  cent  piece,  and  put  it  aside.     The 

i88 


■M— paa&, ■  .-.^» '.. 


The  Lost  Money 


189 


children  all  stood  around  while  that  precious 
silver  piece  was  taken  from  the  coppers,  and 
put  in  a  place  by  itself.  Perhaps  it  was  put 
in  a  box  for  a  bank,  or  in  one  of  the  stockings 
belonging  to  the  smallest  child,  who  ran 
around  barefoot  and  did  not  need  any. 

I  don't  know  what  they  meant  to  do  with 
that  money  when  it  had  grown  to  be  a  great 
deal.  Perhaps  they  were  each  going  to  have 
new  clothes  in  time  to  go  to  the  great  service 
that  was  held  each  year  in  the  white  and  gold 
church  in  Jerusalem.  Perhaps  their  father 
was  sick  and  they  were  saving  enough  to 
pay  a  doctor  to  cure  him.  What  else  do 
you  think  they  could  have  been  saving  for? 
It  might  have  been  any  one  of  these 
things.  We  only  know  that  the  mother 
put  the  silver  pieces  aside  until  there  were 
ten  of  them — ten  beautiful  shining  pieces  ci 
silver ! 

One  evening  the  children  stood  around 
their  mother.  They  were  dressed  in  the 
gaily  coloured  clothes  such  as  every  one 
wore  then,  and  their  smiles  were  bright,  as 
they  watched  her  count  over  that  splendid 
jingling  pile. 


I  t 


i 


.  .  .       — '  m^iM^i. 


^■fUMll    .^M<CTClUa«lijL>,^".irtl 


iffff- 


f  s* 


190        "Tell  Me  a  T'-u*-  Story* 

But  the  next  day  their  happiness  haH 
gone,  for  one  of  the  silver  pieces  wa*" 
Through  the  room  they  all  hunted,  U  ..ng 
in  the  corners,  behind  the  furniture,  in  the 
cracks  of  the  wall,  while  their  mother 
counted  the  money  over  and  over  again. 
There  were  only  nine  pieces,  and  they  knew 
that  the  night  before  they  had  all  counted 
ten.  The  smallest  children  began  to  cry,  so 
their  mother  sent  them  all  out-of-doors,  and 
started  to  search  herself. 

Where  did  1  tell  you  the  only  light  in  the 
house  came  from  ?  Through  the  door,  and 
that  was  not  enough  to  light  all  of  the  room. 
So  the  mother  lit  a  candle,  and  tucking  up 
her  skirts,  she  began  to  sweep.  They  had 
funny  brooms  in  that  country  with  very  long 
handles  and  the  sweeping  part  made  of 
twigs.  With  a  broom  like  that  she  swept 
the  house,  holding  the  candle  in  one  hand, 
while  she  threw  its  light  into  the  dark 
corners  and  cracks  and  swept  them  clean. 
For  a  long  time  she  did  not  find  anything, 
except  a  little  dust  and  cobwebs  that  had 
not  been  seen  in  the  ordinary  sweepings. 
But  this  was  a  different   kind  of  cleaning. 


Wfi% 


Tho  Lost  Money  igi 

The  mother  had  lost  somethhig  precious, 
something  which  she  needed  and  cared  Kjr, 
and  which  she  meant  to  hud.  Scj  over  the 
house  she  went,  again  and  again.  At  last 
she  saw  something  shining  in  a  crack  in  the 
floor,  and  eagerly  she  put  her  candle  down 
by  it  and  swept  hard.  There  was  a  liule 
jingle  and  then  out  of  the  -rack  fell  the  lost 
piece  of  silver.  Oh,  she  was  so  glad  I  She 
threw  open  the  door  and  called  the  children, 
and  they  came  running,  and  laughed  and 
sang  widi  her.  They  were  so  happy  they 
wanted  to  tell  all  their  friends  about  it,  so 
they  ran  down  the  street  and  called  the 
neighbours  together.  "  Rejoice  with  me," 
said  the  mother,  "  for  I  have  found  the  piece 
which  I  had  lost." 

Sometimes  when  you  are  playing  some 
one  vexes  jou  and  you  say,  "  I  won't  play 
any  more."  Then  you  go  over  into  a  corner, 
with  your  mouth  going  up  in  the  middle, 
and  down  in  the  corners,  and  the  other 
children  lose  you  from  their  game.  If  you 
are  going  to  keep  those  corners  of  your 
mouth  down  the  children  don't  care  whether 
you   play  any  more   with  them  or  not,  but 


g 


Iwr 


192         "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

there  is  some  one  who  cares  very  much 
Jesus  is  watching  you  all  the  time,  you 
know,  and  He  cares  for  you  the  same  way 
the  woman  cared  for  her  ten  pieces  of  silver, 
only  much,  much  more.  He  is  sad  when 
He  sees  that  cross  look  come  into  your  face, 
and  you  go  ofT  to  the  ^.orner.  The  lost  piece 
of  silver  could  not  run  back  to  the  woman, 
could  it?  It  had  to  wait  to  be  found,  but 
you  can  run  back  yourself,  and  you  always 
know  that  you  ought  to.  Sometimes  you 
feel  ashamed  after  you  have  been  cross,  and 
slowly  your  mouth  goes  down  in  the  middle, 
ar.d  up  at  the  corners,  and  you  run  back  to 
the  children  and  say,  "  I  am  sorry,"  and  ask 
them  to  let  you  play  with  them  again.  That 
is  like  being  found  again  after  you  have 
been  lost,  and  although  the  children  may  be 
glad  to  have  you  back  no  one  is  as  happy 
about  il  as  Jesus.  He  said,  "There  is  joy 
in  the  presence  01  angels  over  one  person 
who  has  done  wrong  and  is  sorry." 


XL 

The  Lost  S«>n 

Luke  /j  :  I/-J2 

ONCE  there  was  a  man  who  had  two 
sons.  One  o(  them  was  glad  to 
sfay  at  Lome,  to  do  his  work  durii)j» 
the  day  and  to  sit  witli  liis  father  in  the  even- 
injj.  But  the  other,  the  younger  one,  was 
restless.  He  was  tired  of  working  in  the 
field  with  his  brother,  and  of  sitting  quietly 
!it  home  in  the  evening  with  his  family.  He 
wanted  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  liave  a 
good  I'me. 

He  asked  his  father  to  give  him  the  money 
he  would  have  when  his  father  was  dead,  so 
that  he  could  go  on  a  journey  and  see  tilings. 
His  father  gave  it  to  him  and,  after  kissing 
him  good-bye,  stood  at  the  door  of  the  liome 
and  watched  him  go. 

The  young  man  was  happy  ib.at  morning  ; 
he  was  going  off  to  see  the  world,  and  he 
mnrched  down  the  road  with  lon^  swinging 
steps,   his  head   high,  whistling  as  he  went 

»93 


LI 


T^SHSaH^ 


Wiffp 


^         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

His  father  stood  there  watching  him  as  he 
grew  smaller  and  bnialltr,  until  he  was  only 
a  speck  in  Uie  distance — then  he  was  gone. 
Every  morning  and  every  evening,  I  think, 
the  father  stood  there  in  the  doorway  of  his 
home,  watching  for  his  son  to  come  back. 
He  stood  with  his  hand  shading  his  eyes, 
watching  for  that  speck  he  had  seen  vanish. 
But  it  did  not  come,  and  the  father's  heart 
grew  sad  and  lonely,  wailing  for  his  son. 

What  do  you  think  the  young  man  was 
doing  ?  Having  a  good  time  spending  his 
father's  money?  Yes,  he  did  have  a  good 
lime  at  first.  He  travelled  on  until  he  came 
to  a  far  country.  There  he  made  lots  of 
friends,  for  when  the  people  saw  how  much 
money  he  had  they  all  came  around  him  and 
helped  him  to  spend  it.  He  lived  a  wild  life, 
until  one  day  he  had  no  money  left,  not 
a  penny  with  which  to  buy  a  piece  of  bread. 
Then  the  friends  left  him.  They  were  only 
make-believe  friends,  who  were  nice  to  him 
because  they  wanted  to  come  to  his  parties. 
Real  friends  never  leave  us  when  we  are 
poor  or  in  trouble. 

So  there  the  son  was  in  a  far  country,  with 


The  Lost  Son 


«95 


no  money,  an(!  to  make  things  worse,  a 
famine  came  in  the  land.  You  rf*mem!>er 
what  a  famine  is.  I  told  you  of  onu  in  the 
story  about  Joseph  and  the  other  s(.ns  of 
Jacob.  This  son,  too,  was  hungry  and  could 
get  no  food.  Then  he  went  o..t  looking  for 
work,  and  all  he  could  find  was  a  place  with 
a  man  who  wanted  sf)me  one  to  take  care  of 
his  pigs.  Every  morning  he  took  the  pigs 
out  into  the  fields,  where  there  were  dry  pods 
for  them  to  eat,  which  fell  from  the  trees. 
But  there  was  nothing  for  him.  The  make- 
believe  friends  he  had  given  so  much  to 
would  not  look  at  him  now  that  he  was  poor 
and  in  want. 

The  poor  follow  watched  the  pigs  gob- 
bling the  dry  pods  and  wanted  to  eat  them 
too,  he  was  so  hungry.  "  My  father's  serv- 
ants," he  thought,  "  have  enough  bread  to 
spare,  while  I  am  dying  of  hunger."  He  was 
ashamed,  too,  and  lonely,  and  that  is  worse 
than  being  hungry.  He  was  ashamed  of 
having  spent  so  foolishly  the  money  his 
father  gave  him,  and  he  was  lonr-,oine  for  his 
father.  Tlien  a  thought  came  to  him.  '*  I 
will  arise,"  he  said,  "  and  go  to  my  father, 


"m. 


tr'n 


'    i     Hi 


'-la 


rn 


196         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

and  I  will  say  to  him,  '  Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven  and  before  thee,  and  am  no 
nK)re  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son.  Make 
me  as  one  of  thy  servants.'  " 

So  lie  started  off  towards  his  home.  He 
had  been  too  bad  and  foolish,  he  thought,  for 
his  father  to  take  him  back  and  treat  him  as 
his  son,  but  perhaps  he  would  give  him  a 
servant's  place  in  the  house. 

Do  you  remember  how  happily  and 
proudly  he  had  marched  along  when  he 
started  out  on  his  journey  ?  You  would  not 
have  known  him  for  the  same  person  as  he 
walked  slowly  and  sadly  along  the  road  on 
his  way  home.  He  looked  like  a  tramp,  his 
clothes  were  ragged  and  faded,  he  was  bare- 
footed and  his  head  was  hanging.  He  did 
not  whistle  any  more,  for  he  was  hungry  and 
unhappy. 

But  some  one  was  watching  for  him.  Who 
had  stood  at  the  house  door  every  day  since 
he  went  away,  looking  anxiously  down  the 
road?  Yes,  it  was  his  fathi  .  He  stood 
there  now,  shading  his  eyes  to  see  as  far  as 
he  could.  At  last  he  saw  a  black  speck 
against  the  sky,  then  the  figure  of  a  young 


The  Lost  Son 


»97 


man.  But  what  a  ragged  and  weary  figure ! 
Do  you  r'lppose  tho  father  knew  who  it  was? 
And  ■  hen  he  did  know  do  you  think  he  said : 
"1  ;  r  -isliamed  of  that  ragged  son  who  left 
hom»^  i.iv'  yptuit  Jiy  money  ;  I  will  go  in  and 
shut  my  door  up<jn  him  "  ?  Oh,  no,  he  did 
not  say  that,  he  thought  of  nothing  except 
how  glad  he  was  to  see  his  dear  son  again. 

Wiiile  he  was  yet  a  great  way  off  his  fatlier 
saw  him,  and  ran  and  put  his  arms  around 
him  and  kissed  him.  "  Father,"  said  the  son, 
"  I  have  siiuied  against  heaven,  and  in  thy 
sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called 
thy  son."  He  could  not  say  any  more,  for 
his  father  stopped  him. 

Then  the  father  called  his  servants  and 
said  :  "  Bring  forth  the  best  robe  and  put  it 
on  him,  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand  and  shoes 
on  his  feet,  and  bring  hither  the  fatted  calf 
and  kill  it.  For  this  my  son  was  dead,  and 
is  alive  again,  he  was  lost  and  is  found." 

So  together  they  went  into  the  house  and 
in  great  love  and  joy  sat  down  to  the  feast 


i  i 


Mi 


XLI 

The  Light  of  the  World 

/okn  8 :  12 

THERE  was  once  a  wonderful,  great 
church.  Outside  of  it  was  a  square 
yard  called  a  court,  and  leading  up 
to  the  court  was  a  flight  of  marble  steps.  In 
the  court  stood  two  gigantic,  gold  lamps, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  stairway.  Every 
year,  for  a  few  nights  only,  these  lamps  were 
lighted.  They  stood  so  high  and  the  lamps 
themselves  were  so  powerful,  that  their  light 
was  shed  far  off  over  the  whole  city  and  the 
hills  beyond.  When  the  people  saw  that 
bright  light  shine  forth  they  all  came  to  the 
church,  and,  standing  on  the  steps,  sang 
happy  songs,  while  some  of  them  danced 
around  the  lamps  for  joy. 

One  night  a  man  with  a  beautiful,  bright 
face  stood  beside  the  lamps  before  they  were 
lighted.     Suddenly  the  light  shone  out  and 

a  great  murmur  of  pleasure  ran  over  the 

198 


m 


^ 


-rsf" 


I 


THE    LIGHT   OF    THE    \Vt)KI.D 


The  Light  of  the  World  199 

crowd.     Then  the  man  held  up  his  hand  and 
they  all  kept  quiet  to  hear  him.     "  I  am  the 
Light   of   the  World,"    He    said.     Do   you 
know  who  he  was?     It  was  Jesus.     "  I  am 
the  Light  of  the  World."    Jesus  meant  that 
as  those   lamps  lighted  every   part  of  the 
great  city,  so  He  was  a  light  to  the  whole 
world,    making    it    beautiful    and    happy. 
Then,  while  the  crowd  stood   on  the  steps 
and  around  the  lamps,  all  quiet,  listening  to 
every  word  He  spoke.  He  told  them  a  won- 
derful  thing.     He   said   that   every   one  of 
them  could  be  a  light  too ;  if  they  followed 
Him  they  should  have  the  ligh^  of  life  and 
their  lives  would  shine  like  His.     He  said : 
"He  that  followeth  Me  shall   not   walk  in 
darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 

I  am  going  to  tell  you  of  how  Jesus  gave 
His  light  to  one  home  that  was  dark  and 
dreary.  On  the  next  page  is  a  picture  of 
Him.    Tell  me  what  you  see  there. 

Do  you  see  the  little  stars  shining  through 
the  branches  of  the  trees  ?  What  do  you  see 
that  is  brighter  than  the  stars  ?  The  lantern 
in  Jesus'  hand.  But  b-ightest  and  most  won- 
derful of  all  is  the  light  in  His  face.    What 


;  I 


\  i. 


w 


i 


200         •'  Tell  Me  a  True  Story  " 

is  He  doing  with  His  other  hand  ?  Knock- 
ing upon  the  dosed  door.  Inside  the  house 
there  may  be  an  old,  blind  grandfather. 
He  hua  U.  sit  in  the  dark  all  the  time,  but 
that  is  not  as  bad  as  the  darkness  in  his 
heart.  He  is  so  miserable  and  forlorn  that 
he  never  smiles;  all  day  he  sits  and  sighs. 
Hi?  daughter  is  there  too,  and  her  children 
f>i  -'  i.eside  her.  One  of  them  is  lying  on  the 
Lt:d  moaning  with  pain,  the  others  are  fight- 
ing and  crying,  and  the  mother  is  scolding. 
The  whole  house  is  dark — they  do  not  know 
where  the  lamp  is,  and  they  are  all  so  un- 
happy that  they  do  not  care  whether  there  is 
an}^  light. 

But  who  is  standing  outside  the  door 
knocking?  The  Lord  Jesus.  Around  His 
feet  are  sv.  eet  flowers,  the  stars  shine  brightly 
over  His  head,  and  all  about  Him  are  light 
and  peace.  He  wants  to  take  them  into  that 
dark;  unhappy  house,  but  the  people  inside 
are  so  busy  crying  and  scolding  and  fighting 
that  they  do  not  hear  the  knock. 

I  will  tell  you  what  I  think  happened.  I 
think  the  smallest  child,  who  was  just  learn- 
ing   to  walk,   heard    the   knock,  and    tod 


li^ 


The  Light  of  the  World  201 

dling  to  the  door,  pulled  it  open.  Then 
the  light  streamed  in  and  the  family  grew 
quiet,  watching  it.  Jesus  put  His  lantern 
on  the  table  and  went  to  the  bed  where 
tl.j  sick  child  lay.  She  had  stopped  crying, 
and  her  eyes  were  fastened  or.  the  beauti- 
ful, loving  face  bending  over  her.  When  He 
took  her  hand,  the  pain  all  left  her,  and  a 
smile  of  happiness  came  into  her  face.  Then 
Jesus  turned  to  the  old  grandfather.  He  put 
His  hand  on  the  blind  eyes,  and  when  the 
old  man  opened  them  he  could  see.  He  saw 
the  lantern  and  his  grandchildren,  and  he 
saw  the  wonderful  face  of  Jesus.  Then  light 
came  into  his  dark,  sad  heart,  and  he  cried 
for  joy. 

The  children  had  stopped  fighting  now 
and  were  gathered  about  Jesus.  He  put  His 
arms  around  them  and  talked  to  thenx 
The  room  was  peaceful  and  bright  and  cozy, 
and  all  of  them,  mother,  old  grandfather  and 
children,  were  smiling  with  happiness.  Jesus 
had  brought  them  His  light,  the  Light  of  life 
I  think  He  told  them  what  He  told  the 
people  outside  of  the  church ;  that  if  they  fol- 
lowed Him  they  would  not  be  in  the  dark 


1  f. 


ill 


maam 


nl  '" 


If  I     iii 


202        "  Tell  Mc  a  True  Story  " 

any  more — they  would  always  have  light  and 
joy  in  their  hearts.  Even  the  baby  rould  be 
a  bright,  little  candle. 

That  is  as  true  to-day  as  it  was  then. 
Jesus  comes  and  knocks  at  our  door.  If  we 
open  it  to  Him  He  brings  light  and  peace 
ir'  ^  o  r  homes. 


'k?* 


XLII 

«  Follow  Me  " 

Matt.  4 :  18-22 

ONE  day  Jesus  was  walking  on  the 
beach  beside  the  sea.  The  sun 
sparkled  upon  the  blue  water,  the 
waves  broke  at  His  feet,  and  the  fresh  breeze 
blew  upon  His  face. 

Pushed  out  a  little  from  the  shore  was  a 
rowboat,  with  two  men  in  it.  They  were 
fishermen,  called  Peter  and  Andrew,  and 
they  were  casting  a  net  into  the  sea.  They 
threw  it  over  the  side  of  the  boat  and  then 
drew  it  slowly  in,  filled  with  shining  fish. 
Jes  IS  stopped  and  watched  them.  Soon 
they  looked  up  and  saw  Him.  They  had 
known  Him  before.  They  knew  He  was 
Jesus  the  carpenter  of  Nazareth,  who  had 
left  His  home  and  His  carpenter's  bench, 
and  was  preaching  as  He  walked  through 
the  country.     They  had  heard  Him  preach 

too,  and    knew    that    He    was    wonderful, 

»o3 


iH 


i 


\'ii 


204        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

although  how  very  wonderful  Hv-  really  was 
they  did  not  undtrstand.  When  they  ]of)kcd 
up,  Jesus  called  to  tliem  over  th':  water. 
" Follow  Me,"  He  said,  " and  1  v.ill  make 
you  fishers  of  men."  He  was  asking  tl.em 
to  leave  their  work,  their  homes  and  their 
friends,  to  go  with  Him.  And  He  had  no 
house  to  invite  them  to  stay  in,  not  even  a 
comfortable  place  to  sleep  in.  Do  you  think 
they  went  ?  The  storj'  says,  "  And  they 
straightway  left  their  nets  and  followed 
Him."  His  face  shone  with  such  a  light. 
His  words  were  full  of  such  joy  and  sweet- 
ness, that  gladly  these  fishermen  left  all  that 
they  had  to  follow  Him.  Together  they 
walked  on  over  the  beach  until  they  came  to 
another  boat.  Two  young  men  were  sitting 
in  it  with  their  father.  They  too  were  fisher- 
men, and  were  mending  their  nets.  Jesus 
stopped  and  called  them.  "  I-ollow  Mc,"  He 
said,  and  immediately  they  left  the  boat 
and  their  father,  and  followed  Him. 

Over  the  country  they  went  with  their 
Master,  Jesus,  listening  to  His  preaching, 
watching  Him  heal  sick  people,  and  learning 
a  little  how  truly  wonderful  He  was.    One 


R-^^' 


"Follow  Mc" 


205 


day  they  came  to  a  wide  road,  called  the  way 
of  the  sea.  It  cost  a  j^ood  deal  to  keep  that 
road  hard  and  smooth,  so  a  mati  was  placed 
beside  it  lO  collect  mc»tiey  from  all  who 
travelled  that  way,  to  pay  for  having  it 
mended.  The  man's  name  was  Matthew. 
He  was  quite  a  rich  man,  having  a  large 
house  of  his  own,  but  nobody  liked  him,  or 
wanted  to  have  anything  to  do  with  him, 
because  it  was  thought  that  collecting  uvxes 
was  a  disgraceful  thing  to  do.  He  sat  in  a 
little  office,  beside  a  gale,  and  one  day  Jesus 
stood  there  to  preach  to  the  crowd  who  came 
around  Him.  When  He  had  finished  talking 
He  turned  and  looked  at  Matthew.  He  knew 
that  Matthew  was  hated  by  nearly  every  one, 
but,  in  spite  of  that,  Jesus  knew,  as  soon  as 
He  looked  at  him,  that  he  was  strong  and 
steady  and  honest,  the  kind  of  man  He 
wanted  to  follow  Him.  So  He  spoke  to 
Matthew.  "Follow  Me,"  He  said.  And 
Matthew  stood  straight  up  and  went  out, 
leaving  his  big  house  and  his  money,  and 
followed  Jesus. 

Another  day  as  Jesus  was  walking  along 
a  road  with  these  disciples,  that  is,  the  men 


•'(:.. -.'H' 


A 


JVtl 


L-  J-h' 


ao6        "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story - 

who  had  followed  Him,  a  young  man  came 
running  after  Him.  •*  Master,"  he  said, 
"  I  will  follow  Thee  whithersoever  Thou 
goest."  Jesus  said  to  him,  "  The  foxes  have 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests, 
but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His 
head." 

Jesus  wanted  that  young  man  to  know 
that  if  he  chose  to  come  with  Him,  He  could 
not  give  him  a  home  or  much  food  or  any 
comforts.  Even  the  little  foxes  and  birds 
have  homes,  but  He  had  none.  I  think  the 
young  man  went  with  Him,  though,  don't 
you  ?  For  he  had  seen  the  look  of  love  on 
Jesus'  face,  he  had  heard  His  words  of  power, 
and  he  knew  that  to  be  near  Him  would  give 
a  hundred  times  more  happiness  than  to  live 
in  a  palace. 

Don't  you  wish  we  could  follow  Jesus? 
Think  how  beautiful  it  would  be  to  be  always 
by  His  side  I  When  we  were  cross  or  un- 
happy we  could  just  look  up  into  His  glori- 
ous face  and  everj'thing  would  be  bright. 

And  we  can  follow  Him  to-day  just  as 
truly  as  Peter  did,  or  Andrew,  or  Matthew. 
Can  you  tell  me  how  ? 


r^^Z 


XLIII 

The  OiFering  of  a  Little  Lad 

John  6:  1-14 

ONCE,  in  a  small  white  house  beside  a 
blue  lake,  there  lived  a  little  boy 
and  his  mother.  The  mother  did 
not  have  a  husband  to  work  for  her,  or  any 
big  boys  and  girls;  she  had  only  the  one 
little  lad,  and  they  were  very  poor.  But  he 
helped  all  that  he  could,  cutting  wood  for  the 
fire,  cleaning  the  house,  and  catching  fish  in 
the  blue  lake.  Every  day  he  started  out  as 
soon  as  the  work  of  the  house  was  done,  and 
fished  until  dark.  Sometimes  he  had  to 
walk  far  from  home,  along  the  lake,  before 
he  caught  anything,  so  his  mother  used  to 
give  him  his  lunch  to  take  with  him.  Little 
loaves  of  bread  made  by  her  out  of  barley 
flour  were  what  he  usually  carried. 

As  the  little  lad  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  lake, 
or  wandered   along   the   shore,  fishing,  he 

sometimes   dreamed  of  what  he  would  do 

207 


WW 


208         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

when  he  was  a  man.  Would  he  sail  across 
the  lake,  and  climb  the  high  mountains 
around  it,  and  go  into  the  great  world  ?  He 
would  like  to  do  that,  he  thought.  It  would 
be  fine  to  live  in  a  big  city  and  be  a  famous 
man  I  But  other  days  he  looked  at  the  blue 
waves  dancing  at  his  feet  and  wished  he 
could  stay  there  always  and  be  a  fisherman 
with  a  boat  of  his  own  and  many  fish-nets. 
He  had  a  friend,  Andrew,  who  was  a  fisher- 
man. He  had  taught  the  lad  how  to  bait 
his  hook  and  how  to  throw  his  line.  Some 
days  the  boy  thought  that  it  would  be 
splendid  to  grow  up  into  a  strong,  good 
fisherman  like  Andrew. 

One  evening  Andrew  came  to  the  small 
white  house,  where  the  little  lad  and  his 
mother  lived,  to  say  good-bye.  He  told 
them  of  a  wonderful  Man  he  had  seen,  who 
had  stopped  and  spoken  to  him  while  he  was 
fishing,  and  asked  him  to  leave  his  nets  and 
follow  Him,  We  have  had  that  story.  Do 
you  remember  it?  Who  asked  Andrew  to 
leave  his  home  and  friends  and  go  with  Him  ? 
Andrew  told  the  little  lad  and  his  mother 
so  much  about  Jesus,  about  His  beautiful 


The  Offering  of  a  Little  Lad      209 

face  and  voice,  His  preaching-,  His  kindness 
to  people  who  were  sick  and  sad,  that  the 
mother  and  son  could  think  or  talk  of  noth- 
thing  else  during  the  days  after  Andrew  left 
them.  Now,  more  than  ever,  the  boy  longed 
to  be  like  Andrew,  not  only  a  strong  fisher- 
man, but  a  follower  of  Jesus.  When  he  wan- 
dered along  the  lake  fishing,  he  dreamed, 
not  of  climbing  the  mountains  and  seeing 
the  world,  but  of  seeing  Jesus,  and  becoming 
His  follower. 

One  afternoon  the  little  lad  had  walked  far 
from  home.  He  had  caught  only  two  small 
fishes,  and  tired  and  disappointed  he  cooked 
them  over  a  little  fire,  and  sat  down  beside 
the  lake  to  eat  his  lunch.  Just  as  he  was 
beginning  his  meal,  he  noticed  a  great  crowd 
of  people  in  the  distance.  Hurriedly  putting 
the  barley  loaves  back  into  his  pockt  t  and 
picking  up  the  forked  stick  on  'vhich  hung 
the  fish,  he  ran  towards  the  crowd  to  see 
what  was  happening.  He  was  so  litde  that 
he  slipped  in  among  the  people  and  soon 
found  himself  in  the  front  of  the  crowd. 
There  to  his  surprise  he  saw  Andrew  and 
— whom   do   you   suppose?    It  was  Jesus. 


■  ) 


'1 


i.4i 


*: 


210        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

Around  Him  on  the  hillside  were  gathereu 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  people  who  had 
been  sick  or  unhappy,  and  who  had  followed 
Him  out  to  this  quiet  spot,  sure  that  He 
could  heal  and  comfort  them.  He  had  healed 
the  sick  and  then  He  had  told  them  all  such 
beautiful,  happy  things  that  they  forgot  every- 
thing else  in  listening  to  the  sound  of  His 
wonderful  voice. 

When  the  little  lad  reached  the  a  vd 
the  afternoon  had  passed  and  the  ■  »as 
sinking  behind  the  hills.  Soon  it  id  be 
dark — the  men,  and  women,  and  children 
would  be  far  from  home  without  any  food, 
and  in  that  quiet  spot  there  was  no  place 
to  buy  anything.  Just  as  the  boy  reached 
the  front  of  the  crowd  he  heard  Jesus  ask  one 
of  His  disciples  where  they  could  get  food 
for  all  these  hungry  people.  The  little  lad's 
heart  began  to  beat  hard  with  excitement. 
Perhaps  Jesus  would  take  his  two  small  fish 
and  his  barley  loaves  1  Oh,  how  happy  he 
would  be  I  Very  shyly  he  crept  up  to 
Andrew,  and  showing  him  his  little  store  of 
food  told  him  of  his  longing  to  give  it  to  the 
Master.    To  please  the  boy,  Andrew  spoke 


The  Offering  of  a  Little  Lad      2 1 1 


to  Jesus.  "  There  is  0  lad  here  who  has 
five  barley  loaves  and  two  small  fishes," 
he  said, "  but  what  are  they  among  so  many?'* 
Jesus  answered,  "  Make  all  the  people  sit 
down." 

Then,  while  the  crowd  sat  down  in  row^ 
on  the  green  grass,  looking  like  a  flower 
g  rdei  in  their  brightly  coloured  clothes, 
J(  ;us  turned  to  the  lad.  Stooping,  He 
took  from  the  boy's  hands  the  five  loaves 
and  the  two  fishes.  It  was  the  happiest 
moment  of  the  little  fellow's  'ife.  He  had 
dreamed  one  day  of  seeing  Jesus,  of  hearing 
Him  speak,  of  becoming  His  follower  when 
he  was  a  man,  but  now,  when  he  was  only  a 
litde  boy,  Jesus  was  speaking  to  him,  smiling 
upon  him,  taking  his  offering.  Suddenly 
the  lad  understood  that  he  did  not  have  to 
wait  until  he  was  grown  up  to  be  a  follower 
of  Jesus,  and  when  he  gave  Him  his  loaves 
and  fishes  he  felt  as  if  he  was  giving  Him  at 
the  same  time  his  heart  and  life  forever. 

When  all  the  people  were  seated  and 
quiet,  Jesus  looked  up  to  heaven  and  gave 
thanks.  Then  He  broke  the  bread  and  the 
fish  and  gave  them  to  Andrew  and  the  other 


212         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

disciples,  and  they  gave  the  food  to  the 
people  until  they  had  eaten  all  they  wanted. 
The  boy  looked  on  in  v/onder.  His  two  tiny 
fishes  and  lunch  of  bread  were  enough  now 
to  feed  this  great  crowd,  and  there  was 
besides  much  left  over.  The  disciples  gath- 
ered up  the  pieces  that  were  left,  and  they 
filled  twelve  baskets. 

As  night  fell  and  the  stars  began  to  shine, 
the  crowd  scattered,  and  the  boy  ran  home 
along  the  lake.  He  was  so  happy  that  as  he 
ran  he  sang  for  joy.  His  dream  had  come 
true  that  day.  He  had  become  a  follower  of 
Jesus.  He  did  not  have  to  leave  his  home 
and  mother,  Jesus  had  not  asked  him  to  do 
that.  He  could  follow  Him  every  day  by 
trying  to  be  like  Him,  by  helping  and  loving, 
and  sometimes  by  feeding  the  people  he  met 

Can  we  do  that  too?  What  can  we  do 
to-day  that  is  being  like  Jesus  ? 


XLIV 


The  Stilling  of  a  Storm 

Matt.  14:  2J-J2 

WE  have  a  wonderful  story  to  heat 
now  about  a  storm  at  sea.  It  hap- 
pened many  years  ago  when  Jesus 
was  living  in  Palestine. 

Late  one  afternoon  He  stood  by  the  sea- 
shore, surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  people,  men 
and  women,  boys  and  girls,  whom  He 
had  been  healing  and  comforting  and 
^'leering.  He  had  been  feeding  them,  too, 
V  -a  five  barley  loaves  and  two  small  fishes. 
Do  you  remember  the  story  of  a  little  lad's 
oliering  ? 

After  Jesus   had   helped   all  those  people 

He  was  tired.     So  He  told   His  disciples 

to  take  tlieir  little  boat  and  sail  to  the  other 

side  of  the  sea,  and  He  sent  the  crowd  of 

people  away.     When  He  was  all  alone  and 

the  sun  was  setting  over  the  water,  what  do 

you  suppose  He  did?    When  we  are  tired 

213 


i   I 


214        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story* 

we  want  to  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep.  But 
when  Jesus  was  tired  He  almost  always  went 
off  alone  into  the  country  and  prayed  to 
God.  That  rested  Him  more  than  going  to 
sleep.  So  this  evening  He  climbed  a  moun- 
tain by  the  seashore,  and  there,  with  the 
stars  shining  over  His  head,  He  prayed  to 
His  Father  in  heaven. 

While  Jesus  was  on  the  mountain  top  what 
were  His  disciples  doing?  Sailing  without 
Him  across  the  sea.  The  wind  was  against 
them,  the  waves  were  high  and  rough,  and 
they  were  having  a  hard  time.  Some  of 
them  were  great,  strong  men  who  had  rowed 
all  their  lives.  But  in  spite  of  that  they  were 
almost  worn  out,  and  though  they  had  rowed 
nearly  all  night,  they  were  not  more  than 
half-way  across  the  little  sea.  But  some  one 
was  watching  them.  On  the  mountain  alone 
stood  Jesus.  He  had  seen  the  storm  come 
up,  the  great  dark  clouds,  the  howling  wind, 
and  the  waves,  high  and  black,  crested  with 
foam.  As  the  moonlight  struggled  through 
a  break  in  the  clouds  He  saw  the  little  boat 
tossing  beneath  Him  on  the  great  waves 
Then,  when  it  seemed  to  the  disciples  they 


I  i 


Mi 


I.  i 


% 


"LORD,  SAVE    ME" 


The  Stilling  of  a  Storm  215 

could  row  no  further,  they  saw  a  lij^ht  in  the 
darkness,  and  a  bri^^ht  figure  came  towards 
them  walking^  on  the  water.  At  first  they 
were  fri[,'iitened ;  they  did  not  know  who  or 
what  it  could  be,  but  out  of  the  darkness  and 
a!)cive  the  noise  of  the  wind  and  the  waves 
t!  :y  'icaid  the  beloved  voice  of  their  Master. 
"  I  ^'  (  '  good  cheer,"  He  said ;  "  it  is  I,  be  not 
afraid." 

At  once  Peter,  one  of  the  fishermen  dis- 
ciples, you  know,  wanted  to  go  right  to  Jesus ; 
he  could  not  wait  for  Him  to  come  to  them. 
"  Lord,"  he  said,  "  if  it  be  Thou,  bid  me  come 
unto  Thee  on  the  water."  So  Jesus  said: 
"  Come,"  and  over  the  side  of  the  boat  Peter 
sprang,  and  walked  towards  Him.  While 
his  eyes  were  fixed  on  his  Master's  face 
he  was  safe.  The  wind  might  toss  his  hair, 
the  spray  wet  his  clothes,  but  all  was  welL 
But  when,  becoming  afraid,  he  glanced  from 
Jesus  to  the  high,  fierce  waves  and  the 
blackness  underneath  them,  he  began  to 
sink,  and  cried  in  despair :  "  Lord,  save 
me."  At  once,  with  a  smile  of  pity,  Jesus 
stretched  out  His  hand  and  caught  him.  "  O 
thou  of    litrie  faith,"   He  said,  "wherefore 


U' 


i 


I 


216        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

didst  thou  doubt  ?  "  Together  they  climbed 
into  the  boat,  and  then  the  wind  stopped 
howling  about  them,  the  waves  grew  small 
and  quiet,  and  above  their  heads  shone  the 
bright  moon.  The  disciples  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  worshipped  Jesus.  "  Of  a  truth," 
they  said,  "  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God." 

The  next  time  we  are  frightened  about 
anything,  about  being  alone  in  the  dark  or 
being  out  in  a  storm  or  anything  else,  let  us 
remember  this  story.  For  Jesus  comes  to  us 
as  He  came  to  His  disciples  that  night.  He 
says  to  us  as  He  said  to  them,  "  Be  of  good 
:heer,  it  is  I,  be  not  afraid." 

Let  us  say  it  now. 


XLV 
The  Good  Neighbour 

Luke  10 :  2^-jj 

I  AM  going  to  tell  you  a  beautiful  story 
about  neighbours,  which  Jesus  told. 
There  was  a  long  stony  road  running 
from  the  city  of  Jerusalem  to  the  city  of 
Jericho.  On  either  side  of  the  road  there 
were  mountains  with  great  -ocks  on  them, 
and  behind  the  rocks  there  were  often  rob- 
bers hiding.  The  robbers  would  wait  until 
some  traveller  came  along  the  road,  then 
they  would  spring  out,  throw  the  traveller 
down  and  rob  him.  The  road  was  called  the 
Red  Road,  because  so  many  poor  travellers 
had  been  thrown  down,  robbed  and  left 
bleeding  there. 

One  day  a  man  was  walking  along  that 
lonely  road.  He  was  not  having  a  very 
good  time ;  every  now  and  then  he  stopped 
to  listen,  or  to  make  sure  he  had  not  seen 
something  move  behind  a  rock.    And  indeed 

217 


.    ! 

•4JI1 

,    IS 


)Ji 


2\H        " Tell  Mc  a  True  Story '• 

ht  hrul  reason  to  be  afraid,  for  when  lu  had 
reacii  "J  tin-  darkest,  lomliist  part  of  the  wa), 
6  "1"  1  '  )bers  spranjif  upon  liim.  They  tore  his 
'"  *'!  -  .--om  him  and  huat  hitn,  leaving  him 
hall  \-i  upon  the  road.  He  lay  then,  .old 
i Ml  ndt  ring  and  miserable,  but  sutldi-nly  a 
Vi'f'  K  le  inM  '''s  face  and  he  opened  his 
<  t'l         ! !  L     neard  something,   not   the 

s\  if.  r  t  .  the  robbers,  but  the  slow  ioot- 
st.  )s  o)  I  ivel'  T  walking  along  the  same 
side  of  the  road  that  he  was  lying  on. 

"  Surely  he  will  help  me,"  the.  ^-'it  the 
wounded  man.  The  traveller  came  nearer; 
he  was  a  priest  from  the  golden  temjile,  the 
great  church,  in  Jerusalem.  He  wore  flow- 
ing, white  garments  embroidered  in  col- 
ours, and  a  high  pointed  cap  on  his  head 
He  saw  the  poor,  bleeding  man  lying  in  front 
of  him,  and  what  do  you  suppose  he  did  ? 
It  seems  too  dreadful  to  be  true,  but  he 
crossed  right  over  to  the  other  side  of  the 
road  and  went  on.  The  poor  man  closed 
his  eyes  again  ;  he  was  getting  very  weak 
and  thought  he  must  die  there  alone  in 
that  dismal  place.  But  just  as  he  thought 
that,  he  heard  another  step.     It  was  quicker 


The  Good  Neighbour  219 

tliis  time  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  road 
from  where  he  l;ty,  hu*  '\o  one  could  help 
seeing  liim  ucrossj  that  narrow  way,  and 
surely  nobody  else  tt'uld  be  as  cruel  as  the 
pri  •;  had  been.  This  one  was  a  singi  r;  he 
sang  sweet  hyn^iis  in  the  same  golden  temple 
that  the  priest  i  amc  from.  W'.  .  hi'  saw  the 
b'.eeduig,  naked  mail  lying  thtiu  ne  stopped 
at  ouL^'.  Th'jn  he  crossed  tlu'  road  and 
looked  down  upon  liim. 

The  pour  man  was  too  weak  to  speak,  but 
he  mus£  have  looked  up  at  the  singer,  sure 
that  here  at  last  \»as  a  friend.  Then  the 
singer — this  is  alnn  st  too  terrible  to  believe 
— the  singer,  a"ur  having  stopped  and  looked 
at  that  wrttchtu  man,  crosst-d  back  to  the 
other  side  of  the  road  and  w    nt  on  to  Jericho. 

Then  the  man  had  no  mor;-  h  tpc; ;  it  \v;is 
growing  dark  and  cold,  ami  he  as  so  mis- 
erable that  he  did  not  hoar  fresh  fo  itste;  1, 
which  were  coming  towards  him.  He  aid 
not  even  open  his  eyes  when  the  third  man 
stopped,  en  ssed  the  road  and  bent  over  him. 
This  third  man  came  from  anot.ur  part  uf  the 
country  and  was  calle<^  a  Samaritan.  The 
priests  ant!  singers  did  not  like  the  Samari- 


mtS^ 


220         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story 


l^ii 


tans;  they  looked  down  upon  them,  and 
would  not  speak  to  them  when  they  met 
But  in  God's  sight  this  Samaritan  was  a 
hundred  times  better  than  they  were.  For 
he  did  not  leave  that  poor  man.  The  first 
thing  the  sufferer  knew  soothing  oil  and  wine 
were  being  poured  into  his  wounds,  they  were 
bound  up  with  soft  cloths,  and  a  warm  cloak 
was  wrapped  about  him.  Then  he  was 
tenderly  lifted  and  set  upon  a  horse's  back, 
and  when  he  opened  his  eyes,  the  Samaritan 
was  walking  alongside,  leading  the  horse,  and 
cheering  the  rider  with  comforting  words. 

Soon  they  reachea  an  inn,  a  little  hotel, 
and  there  the  Samaritan  took  a  room,  and 
put  the  sick  man  to  bed,  and  took  care  of 
him  all  night  long.  When  morning  came  the 
Samaritan  had  to  go  on  his  way,  but  first  he 
called  the  landlord,  the  man  who  owned  the 
inn.  The  wounded  man  had  no  money^  you 
know,  the  robbers  had  taken  it  all  and  his 
clothes  besides,  but  the  Samaritan  gave  some 
of  his  money  to  the  landlord.  "  Take  care  of 
this  man,"  he  said,  "and  whatever  more 
you  spend  for  him  I  will  pay  you  when  I 
come  again." 


The  Good  Neighbour  221 

Which  of  the  three  men  who  travelled  that 
Red  Road  vvub  a  good  neighbour  to  the  man 
who  fell  among-  robbers  ?  Of  course,  it  was 
the  Samaritan. 

Let  us  all,  like  him,  try  to  help  our  neigh- 
bours. 


'(?!■ 


if 


r^ 


XLVI 
The  Last  Supper 

John  Tj  :  i-iy  ;  Luke  22  :  14-27 

NOT  long  before  Jesus  went  back  to 
heaven,  He  and  His  twelve  dis- 
ciples sat  down  to  supper.  It  was 
a  very  important  supper,  because  it  was  a  feast 
day  in  that  country,  just  as  Christmas  and 
New  Year's  Day  are  feast  days  here.  And 
then  it  was  the  last  time  that  they  were  all  to 
be  together.  The  room  where  the  table  was 
laid  was  at  the  top  of  the  house,  a  house  which 
belonged  to  a  friend  of  Jesus,  and  which  had 
been  lent  Him  for  this  special  supper. 

There  was  not  much  furniture  in  the  room. 
There  were  clean  white  mats  on  the  floor,  and 
little  low  tables  where  the  food  was  spread. 
Around  the  tables  were  sofas,  for  in  that 
country  people  half  lay  down  when  they  ate. 
At  the  door  of  the  room  was  a  high  stone 
pitcher  filled  with  fresh  water.  What  do  you 
suppose  that  was  for  ?  What  do  you  wash 
before  you  sit  down  at  table  ?    Your  hands, 

322 


The  Last  Supper  22a 

and  sometimes  your  face.     But  in  tliose  days 
people   Uied   to  wash  their  feet  when  they 
came  into  the  house  ;  they  did  not  wer.  any 
stockings,  and  the  shoes  were  only  soles  with 
straps  of  leather  to  keep  them  on  the  feet 
Those  shoes  got  very  dusty,  and  the  feet  of  the 
people  did  too ;  so  before  they  went  into  a  room 
they  took  off  their  shoes  and  left  them  at  the 
dijor.     Then    in    many    houses  there   were 
servants,   slaves  they  were  called,  to  wash 
people's  feet.     That  not  only  took  off  the 
dust  and  made  the  feet  feel  clean  and  fresh, 
but  it  rested  the  people,  too. 

To  whom  did  I  tell  you  the  house  belonged 
where  Jesus  had  the  supper  ?    To  a  friend 
and  it  was  a  long  walk  to  this  house  in  the 
city  from  the  place  in  the  country  where  Jesus 
had  been  staying.     The  road  was  rough  and 
hot,  and  when  they  reached  the  upper  room 
they  were  tired  and  their  feet  were  sore  and 
dusty.    The  pitcher  of  cool,  fresh  water  stood 
at  the  door,   but   there  was   no  servant  to 
wash  their  feet  as  they  took  off  their  shoes. 
The  disciples  were  too  proud  to  offer  to  do 
work  like  that  for  themselves  or  for  each 
other. 


•^; 


224        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

They  stood  around  the  table  and  each  one 
wanted  a  scat  of  honour  next  to  Jesus,  who 
sat  at  the  head  of  L.ie  table.    They  began 
quarrelling  about  it.     One  said  he  was  the 
oldest  and  ought  to  sit  there ;  another  said  he 
had  followed  Jesus  longer  than  the  others,  so 
that  he  was  the  most  important,  and  one  of  the 
seats  belonged  to  him.    And  each  of  the  others 
had  a  different  reason  for  thinking  that  he 
was  the  greatest  among  them.    Then  Jesus 
did  a  Monderful  thing.     He  was  their  Lord 
and  Master,  you  know.    He  was  not  only  the 
greatest  man  in  that  country,  He  was  the 
greatest  man  in  the  whole  world,  greater  and 
more  wonderful  than  any  man  who  had  ever 
lived.     But,  while  His  disciples  were  quarrel- 
ling about  which  one  of  them  was  the  greatest, 
He  took  ofT  His  cloak  and  tied  a  towel  around 
His  waist.    Then  He  went  to  the  stone  pitcher 
in  the  comer  of  the  room,  and  poured  from 
it  into  a  basin  some  of  the  cool,  clear  water. 
His  disciples  had  sat  down  quietly  by  that 
time,  wondering  what  their  Lord  could  mean 
to  do.     He    knelt    down    before    one    after 
another  of  them  and  washed  their  feet,  drying 
them  with  the  towel  around  His  waist.     If 


The  Last  Supper  225 

was  the  work  of  a  servant,  work  which  none 
of  them  would  have  done,  and  yet  thei/  LorH 
was  doing  it. 

How  ashamed  they  must  have  felt,  they 
who  had  been  quarrelling  about  who  was  the 
greatest,  and  who  should  have  the  seat  of 
honour.  They  were  too  ashamed  to  speak. 
When  Jesus  had  finished  washing  all  their 
feet  He  took  His  cloak  again  and  sat  down 
at  the  head  of  the  table. 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  have  done  ? "  He 
said.  "  You  call  Me  your  Lord  and  Master, 
and  you  say  truly,  for  so  I  am.  If  I  then, 
your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your 
feet,  you  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's 
feet  Let  him  who  would  be  the  greatest 
among  you  act  as  a  servant  to  the  others." 

I  do  not  believe  they  ever  forgot  that 
lesson.  I  think  that  every  time  they  began 
to  feel  proud  and  to  look  for  the  best  seats, 
they  remembered  that  tht  greatest  King  the 
world  had  ever  known  took  the  part  of  a 
servant  and  washed  their  feet;  and  then  I 
am  sure  they  looked  around  to  see  what  kind 
and  loving  service  they  could  do  for  some 
one  else. 


*l 


226        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

That  was  the  last  supper  Jesus  ever  ate 
with  His  disciples.  Before  it  began  Jesus 
asked  a  blessing,  then  He  broke  the  bread 
and  gave  it  to  them.  After  that  He  poured 
the  wine  into  the  cup  and  passed  that  to 
them,  telling  them  to  think  of  Him  as  often 
as  they  did  it  afterwards.  He  told  them  that 
He  would  soon  be  taken  away  from  tliem, 
but  they  must  not  be  sad,  for  He  would 
never  really  leave  them.  Although  they 
could  not  see  Him  He  would  be  nearer 
them  than  He  had  ever  been  before.  Then 
they  all  sang  a  hjmn  and  went  out  in  the 
starlit  night  to  a  beautiful  garden.  What 
happened  in  that  garden  I  will  tell  you  about 
next  time. 


XLVII 
The  Story  of  Easter 

Luke  2j:  J  J,  34,  50  to  end;  24:  /-p;  John 
jp  :  2^-2}  ;  20  :  1-18 

WHO  is  the  best  person  you  know  ? 
There   was    one    man    who  was 
better  and  more  wonderful  than 
any  one  we  have  ever  seen. 

What  did  Jesus  spend  His  life  doing? 
Making  sick  people  well,  bad  people  good, 
sad  people  happy.  Do  you  suppose  that 
everybody  loved  Him  ?  No,  there  were  some 
very  wicked  people  who  were  afraid  of  Jesus. 
He  was  so  good,  and  they  were  so  bad,  that 
they  feared  and  hated  Him.  They  tried  to 
take  Him  prisoner,  and  He  knew  they  were 
hunting  for  Him.  He  could  have  gone 
away  to  another  country,  and  have  been 
safe ;  but  He  would  not  leave  the  people  He 
was  working  for,  and  He  was  afraid  of  noth- 
ing that  any  one  could  do  to  Him. 


-n: 


*:i 


228        "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

They  did  take  Him  prisoner.  The  night 
in  the  garden  that  I  spoke  of  in  our  last 
story,  they  took  Him.  They  did  many  cruel 
things  to  Him,  and  at  last  they  led  Him  up 
a  steep  road  to  a  green  hill.  At  the  top  of 
that  green  hill  they  put  a  cross,  and  to  that 
cross  they  nailed  Jesus.  Do  you  suppose  He 
was  frightened,  or  that  He  cried  out,  or 
begged  them  to  let  Him  go?  No  indeed, 
Jesus  was  never  afraid  of  any  suffering  for 
Himself.  He  prayed  God  to  forgive  the  men 
who  were  nailing  Him  to  the  cross,  He  spoke 
comforting  words  to  His  mother,  and  to  His 
disciples. 

On  that  cross  He  died. 

Sometimes  a  little  brother  or  sister  in  your 
hv  jse  dies.  That  only  means  that  the  beau- 
tiful angel  spirit,  which  is  in  each  one  of  us, 
has  left  this  body,  and  flown  up  to  God  in 
heaven.  It  is  hard  for  us  to  lose  those  we 
love,  but  it  makes  them  very  happy  to  fly 
away. 

We  know  that  this  is  true,  because  after 
Jesus  had  died  on  the  cross,  after  His  body 
had  been  laid  in  a  cave,  His  angf'  pint 
fame  back,  to  show  us  that  if  we  are  wood's 


The  Story  of  Ea&tcr 


229 


children  death  is  nothing^  to  be  afraid  of. 
That  is  the  reason  we  sing  happy  carols  at 
Easter,  and  make  our  school  bright  with 
flowers.  That  is  the  day  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
came  back,  to  tell  His  dear  friends  that  they 
must  not  be  sad  because  He  had  died. 

I  am  going  to  tell  you  the  story  of  the 
first  Easter  morning.  It  is  so  beautiful,  so 
happy  a  story. 

All  the  friends  of  Jesus  were  very  sad, 
after  they  had  seen  their  beloved  Master  die 
on  the  cross.  They  took  His  body,  and 
lovingly  wrapped  linen  cloths  about  it,  and 
laid  it  in  a  cave  in  a  garden.  In  front  of  the 
cave  a  great  rock  was  rolled,  and  around  the 
rock  stood  soldiers,  sent  by  the  wicked  men 
who  had  killed  Jesus,  because  they  did  not 
want  His  friends  to  take  His  body  away. 

All  that  night  the  soldiers  stood  there,  and 
ali  the  next  day.  The  second  night  they  were 
still  watching,  but  just  as  it  was  beginning 
to  get  a  littie  light,  there  was  a  noise  and  a 
shaking  of  the  ground  as  a  beautiful  angel 
came  down  from  heaven,  and  rolled  the  huge 
rock  back  from  the  cave.  His  face  was 
bright  as  lightning  and  his  garments  were 


■f  ^ 


-w. 


230        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

white  as  snow.    The  soldiers  shook  with  fear 
and  ran  away. 

As  they  ran  out  of  one  gate  in  the  gar- 
den, some  women  were  coming  in  at  another 
gate,  walking  slowly  and  sorrowfully.  They 
were  friends  of  Jesus  and  were  bringing  fresh 
linen  and  sweet  spices,  to  put  around  His 
L  dy.  As  they  walked  they  talked  in  low, 
sail  voices.  Jesus  had  died;  they  would 
never  see  Him  again,  they  thought,  and  their 
hearts  were  filled  with  grief.  They  were 
wondering  how  they  could  roll  the  great 
stone  away  from  the  cavo,  .0  reach  the  dead 
body  of  their  Master. 

It  was  still  early  morning,  and  there  was  a 
faint  streak  of  light  in  the  sky,  though  the 
garden  was  still  in  darkness.  But  what  was 
that  bright  shining  light  in  front  of  the  cave  ? 
The  women  hurried  forward,  and  what  did 
they  see  ?  The  great  rock  had  been  rolled 
away,  and  by  it  stood  a  wondrous  angel. 
The  cave  was  empty,  and  the  women  were 
frightened ;  they  could  not  understand  what 
had  happened.  But  the  angel  said,  "  Be  not 
afraid,  ye  seek  Jesus,  who  hung  upon  the 
cross.     He  is  not  here,  He  is  risen.     Go  your 


THK   WUMKX   AT    THE   Ki.MB 


»-*  <■•    firtmausi 


The  Story  of  Easter  231 

^Yi  tell  His  disciples  that  He  goeth  before 
you.  and  yc  shall  see  Him  as  He  said  unto 
you." 

Oh,  how  happy  those  women  must  have 
been  I  Hurrvin-  back  they  told  the  disciples 
that  tile  Lord  was  alive;  hnt  the  disciples 
could  not  believe  that  such  uonderful  news 
w.is  tn  e. 

Another  friend  of  Jesus  came  to  that 
garden.  Her  name  was  Mary,  and  ^he  h^d 
lovr'd  Jesus  with  all  !.er  l.-art,  In  He  had 
been  very  jrood  to  her,  makin-  i,er  iif  ^  which 
had  been  black  and  bad,  sweet  and  good. 
She  came  to  the  cave  alone ;  the  rock  was 
rolled  back,  and  stoopinjr  down  she  looked 
in.  The  body  of  Jesus  had  gone,  and  the 
angels  in  white  were  sitting  there,  one  at  the 
head,  and  one  at  the  foot  of  the  place  where 

the   body   had   lain.     They  were    beautiful. 

but  her  heart  was  so  full  of  sorrow  that  she 

hardly  noticed  them. 

"Woman,  why  weepest  thou?"  they  said. 

And    she    answered,    "Because   they  have 

taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where 

they  have  laid  Him." 
Then  she  turned   back,  and  saw  a  man 


M 


232         **Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

standing  near  her  in  the  garden.  Her  eyes 
were  so  full  of  tears  that  she  could  not  see 
Him  plainly,  and  she  supposed  that  He  was 
the  gardener.  He  asked  her  the  same  ques- 
tion the  angels  had  :    "  Why  weepest  thou  ?  " 

She  answered,  "Sir,  if  thou  hast  borne  Him 
hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  Him." 

Then  the  man  said,  in  a  voice  she  knew 
and  loved  more  than  any  voice  on  earth, 
"  Mary  1 " 

Who  do  you  think  it  was  ? 

It  was  Jesus,  and  when  she  heard  His 
voice  she  turned,  and  knelt  at  His  feet,  cry- 
ing with  great  joy,  "  Master." 

So  Jesus  came  to  all  His  disciples,  one 
by  one,  or  two  or  three  together.  And  at 
last  they  all  knew  that  He  was  really  risen 
from  the  dead — that  He  was  alive.  And  they 
learnt  too  what  we  must  learn  and  never 
forget ;  that  as  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead,  so 
we,  and  all  whom  we  love,  rise  also.  Some- 
times when  we  go  to  sleep  at  night,  it  is  dark 
and  stormy,  and  we  feel  tired  and  a  little 
lonesome,  but  when  we  wake  in  the  morning 
the  sky  is  blue,  the  sun  is  shining,  and  we 
sing  for  happiness. 


The  Story  of  Easter 


233 


Dying  is  like  that;  falling  to  sleep  here 
vhen  we  are  tired,  and  waking  in  heaven 
ti'ith  Jesus. 

That  is  why  Jesus  came  back  that  bright 
Easter  morning  after  He  had  died  on  the 
cross ;  to  show  us  that  death  is  nothing  to 
be  afraid  of,  for  it  means  going  to  be  with 
Him. 


^1 

If 


XLVIII 
Jesus'  Last  Message 

/oAn  21 :  j-ij  ;  Matt.  28  :  /p,  20  ;  Luke 
<?/  ••  JO  to  end 

THIS  is  the  last  story  that  we  have 
about  Jesus  before  He  went  back  to 
heaven.  After  He  had  died  on  the 
cross,  He  came  back  in  a  heavenly  body,  and 
when  His  disciples  first  saw  Him  they  did 
not  know  Him.  It  was  not  until  He  talked 
to  them,  or  ate  with  them,  or  spoke  their 
names  in  the  same  dear  voice  that  they  knew 
He  was  their  Master. 

One  evening  the  disciples  were  gathered 
together  on  the  seashore.  Their  money  was 
all  gone,  and  Peter  said  :  "  I  am  going  fish- 
ing." He  meant  to  catch  enough  fish  to  sell, 
so  that  they  could  buy  food.  The  others 
said:  "We  will  go  with  you."  So  they 
hoisted  the  sail  in  one  of  their  boats, 
and  sailed  off  a  little  way  from  the  shore. 
AH  night  long  they  worked,  throwing  the 
net  far  over  the  side  of  the  boat  and  drawing 

'34 


Jesus'  Last  Message 


235 


it  in  slowly,  but  they  did  not  catch  anything, 
not  a  single  fish.  In  the  early  morning  they 
saw  a  stranger  standing  on  the  shore,  in  the 
misty  light.  He  called,  asking  them  if  they 
had  caught  anything,  and  they  answered 
sadly,  "  No."  Then  the  stranger  called, 
'•  Cast  your  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship 
and  ye  shall  find."  So  over  the  right  side 
they  threw  the  net.  Lower  and  lower  it 
sank,  and,  when  they  tried  to  draw  it  in,  it 
was  so  full  of  fishes  they  could  not  lift  it  into 
the  boat. 

At  once  they  remembered  other  times  in 
their  lives,  during  the  three  years  they  had 
lived  with  Jesus,  when  He  had  taken  care  of 
them  ;  and  one  of  the  fishermen,  John,  whis- 
pered to  Peter :     "  It  is  the  Lord." 

Then  Peter  could  not  wait  to  row  to  the 
shore.  He  fastened  his  fisherman's  cloak 
around  him,  and  jumping  into  the  sea  he 
swam  to  the  shore,  and  threw  himself  at 
Jesus'  feet. 

The  others  followed  slowly  in  the  boat,  for 
they  were  dragging  the  heavy  net,  full  of  fish. 
When  they  reached  the  beach  they  saw  a 
little  fire  burning  there,  with  some  fish  broil- 


w^ 


mmm 


'1 


236        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

ing  over  it,  and  some  bread  lying  near  it 
Beside  it  stood  the  figure  of  one  whom  they 
knew  was  their  Master,  but  because  of  His 
shining  garments  and  the  heavenly  look  upon 
His  face,  they  were  shy  and  quiet  before  Him. 
He  told  them  to  bring  some  of  the  fish  they 
had  just  caught  to  add  to  those  on  the  fire. 
So  Peter  sprang  forward,  and  with  his  strong 
arm  drew  in  the  heavy  net.  There  were  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  fishes  in  it,  a  great 
many  for  a  net  made  of  light  cord,  but  it  was 
not  broken. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "Come  and  break- 
fast." And  none  of  them  dared  ask,  "  Who 
art  thou  ?  "  for  each  knew  in  his  heart  it  was 
the  Lord.  Then  Jesus  took  the  bread  and 
gave  it  to  them,  and  the  fish  also.  After 
they  had  breakfasted  there  on  the  beach,  in 
the  morning  light,  with  the  blue  waves  roll- 
ing in  at  their  feet,  Jesus  talked  to  them.  He 
told  them  what  He  wanted  them  to  do,  after 
He  had  left  them.  He  had  loved  them,  and 
taken  care  of  them,  feeding  them  when  they 
were  hungry,  cheering  them  when  they  were 
sad.  Now  He  wanted  them  to  love  other 
people,  to  feed  them  and  take  care  of  them. 


Jesus'  Last  Message  237 

Sometimes  people,  even  grown  up  people, 
get  hungry  and  lonely  and  lost,  just  as  litde 
Iambs  and  sheep  do.    Jesus  wanted  His  dis- 
ciples to  take  care  of  those  people,  so  He 
said: 
"  Feed  My  lambs,  feed  My  sheep." 
Once  more  Jesus  came  to  His  friends.     He 
walked  with  them  to  a  mountain  top,  and 
there  again  He  told  them  the  same  thing; 
to  love  and  be  kind  to  everybody,  and  to  go 
through  all  the  world,  telling  people  about 
Him  and  His  love  for  them.     He  told  them 
He  would  be  with  them  always,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world. 

Then  He  lifted  His  hands  and  blessed 
them;  and  as  He  blessed  them  He  was 
parted  from  them,  and  carried  up  into 
heaven. 

They  fell  upon  their  knees,  and  worshipped 
Him,  and  then  with  great  joy  they  went  back 
to  do  the  work  He  had  given  them. 

Why  were  they  joyful?  Jesus  had  left 
them  and  they  knew  they  would  not  see 
Him  again  on  the  seashore,  nor  in  the 
garden,  nor  on  the  mountain.  So  why  were 
they    happy?     What    had    He    promised? 


^il 


238        "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story* 

That  He  would  be  with  them  always.  They 
knew  it  was  true,  and  it  is  true  for  us  too. 
We  cannot  see  Jesus,  but  He  is  nearer  us 
than  even  our  mothers  or  our  fathers.  He  is 
with  us,  loving  us  and  taking  care  of  us,  day 
and  night ;  and  He  asks  us,  as  He  asked 
His  disciples,  to  love  and  take  care  of  other 
people 


Suggestions  for  Sunday-school 
TeacJiers 

IN  arranging  a  course  of  Bible  stories  for  very 
little  children,  there  is  always  the  question  of 
wiiat  metliod  to  employ.     We  know  that  these 
chiidieu  have  no  idea  of  liiuc,  so  that  it  would  be  use- 
less to  arrange  the  stories  chronologically.     We  may 
choose  certain  topics,  such  as  loyalty,  obedience  and 
the  like,  and  group  together  stories  which  teach  those 
lessons;  but  many  of  the  best  stories  teach  no  definite 
iesson  except  the  fact  that  God  is  always  near  us; 
that  IS  the  lesson   nith   which   the  Old  Testament 
stones  are  saturated.     In   order  to  select  what  will 
appeal  most  strongly  to  very  young  children,  we  must, 
therefore,  make  the  list  without  regard  to  the  lessons 
taught,  or  to  the  times  in  which  the  events  occurred, 
but  choose  the  stories  for  their  beauty  of  form,  and 
simplicity  of  narrative,  and  trust  to  the  spirit  which 
inspired  the  writers  to  instruct  and  thrill  our  children. 
The  stories  must  be  told  over  and  over  again  to  be 
really  appreciated  ;  although  this  may  not  be  as  inter- 
esting to  the  teacher  as  to  take  a  new  course  of  lessons 
every   year.     All   who   have  told  stories  to  ci.ildien 
realize  that  they  love  best  a  story  they  know  so  well 
that  they  can  prompt   the  teller  if  the  wrong  words 
are  used,  or  a  single  incident  is  omitted. 

The  stories  in  this  book  have  been  arranged  for  the 
Sundays  of  one  year.  See  "  Arrangement  by  Months  " 
on  oage  243. 

'39 


PVII*! 


¥ 


24©        "Tell  Mc  a  True  Story" 

Some  grouping  of  the  stories  had  to  be  made  so  that 
the  teachers  might  have  a  clue  to  the  order  in  which 
they  were  to  be  told  ;  and  the  best  plan  seemed  to  be 
to  group  them  abuut  a  picture,  aliliuu^ii  in  soute  ca:>cs 
the  connection  is  very  slight.  Sunday-school  pictures 
cost  a  great  deal  if  they  are  good,  and  are  soon  thrown 
away  if  they  are  poor.  In  our  Sunday-school  the  plan 
of  giving  one  good  picture  to  every  chilil  each  mouth, 
and,  ni-rely  to  improve  the  attendance,  a  very  small  one 
each  Sunday,  has  worked  admirably.  A  large  copy 
of  the  month's  picture  hangs  on  the  wall  of  the  Sun- 
day-school room  dunng  that  nioiuh,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  a  Perry,  or  Wilde,  or  Tissot  picture  is 
given  to  each  child,  mounted  on  gray  cardboard,  with 
a  ribbon  through  the  eyelets  by  which  to  hang  it. 
Into  many  dark,  rear-house  bedrooms  these  pictures 
have  found  their  way,  and  are  hung  so  that  the  child 
can  sec  them  from  his  bed  j  others  ornament  the 
kitchen  or  best  room,  and  as  fnendsof  the  parents 
come  in  they  are  led  about  the  room,  and  the  story 
of  each  picture  is  sometimes  recited  in  turn  by  babies 
hardly  old  enough  to  walk  to  Sunday-school. 

The  Bible  texts  are  chosen  on  the  same  principle, 
for  if  these  tiny  children  learn  a  new  text  each  Sunday 
they  forget  it  rapiilly ;  but  if  the  same  text  is  recited 
every  Sunday  for  a  month,  they  remember  and  repeal 
it  at  home,  and  if  the  same  one  is  used  the  following 
year,  it  becomes  engraven  on  their  memories. 

At  our  Sunday-school,  the  Beginners'  Department, 
with  a  membership  of  i6o  children  under  eight  years 
of  age,  meets  together  fur  the  opening  and  closing 
exercises,  but  is  divided  into  small  circles  of  not  more 
than  ten  each  for  the  study  of  the  lesson,  according  to 


'  -^^%<i'J"»H[t1Mt« 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  241 

the  kindergarten  principle.  The  general  exercises  are 
constantly  varied  to  maintain  tiie  interest  of  the  chil- 
dren, but  the  same  hymns,  prayers,  and  verses  arc  often 
repeated  so  that  they  are  thoroughly  memorized. 
After  tlie  opening  exerciser  the  classes  separate  into 
different  rooms,  where  the  teacher  of  each  class  tells 
the  story  and  then  calls  upon  the  children  to  repeat  it, 
or  to  draw  objects  in  it,  or  best  of  all,  to  act  it.  The 
classes  are  taught  by  the  older  girls  of  the  Sunday- 
•chool,  who  meet  once  a  week  to  practice  story  telling, 
and  it  is  due  to  their  unfailing  enthusiasm  and  devotion 
to  the  children  that  the  plan  has  worked  out  so  well. 

Ncariy  all  the  stories  in  this  book  have  been  written 
for  the  same  set  of  children,  and  although  they  have 
been  told  to  them  almost  word  for  word,  as  given 
here,  it  is  realized  that  every  teacher  or  ?M0ther  using 
them  will  have  to  adapt  them  to  her  own  circle  of 
listeners.     These  are  merely  yiven  as  examples. 

In  every  instance  the  writer  has  tried  to  begin  the 
story  with  some  subject  familiar  to  the  children.  It 
is  not,  however,  always  necessary  to  commence  by 
reference  to  everyday  occurrences.  In  some  cases  it 
Is  a  good  plan  and  some  of  these  stories  do  open  that 
way.     For  example : 

Before  telling  the  story  of  Joshua  it  is  asked,  '«  Who 
would  like  to  be  a  soldier  ?  Show  me  how  a  soldier 
stands;  how  he  salutes;  how  he  holds  his  gun  when 
nnarching  and  firing.  There  was  a  splendid  soldier 
once  named  Joshua,  etc."  But  if  the  narrative  itself 
begins  atx)ut  something  easily  understood,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  children  is  caught  without  the  questioning 
preamble,  which  is  chiefly  valuable  for  quieting  a 
restless  ckss. 


242        •*TeU  Mc  a  True  Story" 

Having  secured  their  attention  by  the  opening  and 
held  it  during  the  story,  how  often  have  we  realized 
whi  !)  we  finislieti  the  moral,  iluit  our  hearerii  had  lost 
all  interest  in  what  we  were  ^ayiug.  is  nut  this  be- 
caur''  we  I'lace  undue  iu){H.iuacc  upon  the  mural? 
The  story  is  the  root,  and  the  moral  or  lesson  is  the 
beautiful  fluwer  blossoLuini,  from  it.  If  the  root  is 
well  planted  the  flower  will  :i-ly  bloom  in  tm»c, 
and  we  must  take  care  not  i  j  kill  it  by  forcing  its 
growth.  Many  times  a  child  will  glean  a  lessun  from 
our  story  which  is  more  beautiful  than  any  we  could 
have  taught. 

I  have  spoken  of  reviewing  the  stories  by  acting 
thoui.  The  cbiiilren  enjoy  that  tremendously,  and  it 
fixes  the  story  firmly  in  thtir  minds.  We  do  it  in  the 
separate  circles  and  also  when  the  whole  class  is  to- 
gether.    Here  is  an  example  of  how  it  is  done : 

The  Good  Neighbour  is  one  of  the  best  to  act. 
The  two  robbers  hide  behind  chairs  for  rocks  and 
jumping  out,  knock  down  (very  gently)  the  traveller 
on  his  way  across  the  room  to  Jericho.  The  three 
other  travellers  come  by  in  turn,  two  pausing  to  look 
and  then  hastening  on ;  but  the  third  takes  the 
teacher's  handkerchief  nd  ties  it  around  the  sufferer's 
arm.  He  is  placed  ui)on  another  chair,  which  serves 
for  a  tlonkey,  and  taken  to  the  inn.  While  he  sits 
there,  with  the  handkerchief  still  on  his  arm,  the  other 
chil<lren  toll  of  what  they  can  do  to  be  good  neigh- 
bours, and  the  teacher  counts  the  list  off  upon  her 
fingers  until  both  hands  are  full  of  suggestions. 


Arrangement  by  Months 

Janvaey        Picture  .  Expulsion  from  the  Garden  of  Eden. 

( IkiTi) 

Text  .    .  Joshua  l :  9.     ("  The  Lord  thy  God 

is  wilh   thee  wlnthersoever  thou 

goest.") 

Stories  .  The    Garden    of    Rlen.    Genesis 

1 :  1-5  ;  2  :  4  to  end ij 

Forbidden  Fruit.  Genesis  3  .  .  .  I9 
Cain  and  i.bel.  Genesis  4  :  1-16  .  23 
The  Flood.     Genesis  6.  7, 8    ,       .27 

Fbbruary   .  Picture  .  The  Boy  Jesus  in  the   Carpenter 

Sliop.     (La  Fout) 
Text  .    .  John  1 3 :  33,  34.    ("  Little  children, 

lovu  one  another ;  as  I  have  loved 

you.") 
Stories  .  The  Boyhood  of  Jesus.     Luke  a:  40^ 

5'.  52 I6a 

Jesus  the  Carpenter.     Mark  613; 

Luke  4: 31-41 166 

Jesus    and    a    Little  Girl.     Mark 

5:21-24,  35  to  end 17a 

Jesus    and    the    Children.     Mark 

10:  13-16 177 

March     .    .  Picture  .  Rebekah  at  the  Well.     (Dor*) 

Text  .    .  I  Samuel  3  : 9.   (•<  Speak,  Lord ;  for 

thy  servant  heareth.") 
Stories  .  The   Story  of  Abraham.     Genesis 
12  :  l-s;    13;    14;    15:  I;   21: 

1-8  ;  ^fatt.  1 1  :  I 33 

Rebekah  at  the  Well.     Genesis  24  .    38 
Jacob    and    the  Angels.     Genesis 

27,  28      44 

The    Boy    Samuel.     I    Samuel    I, 
2:  i-ii,  1K-21  ;  3:  i-io  .    ...    8a 

April  .    .   .  Picture  .  The  Women  at  the  Tomb.     (Bou- 

gere.iu) 
Text  .    .  Matt.  28  :  20.     ('<  Lo,  I  am  with  you 

alway.") 
Stories  .  The  Last  Supper.    John  13:1-17; 

Luke  22 ;  14-27 aas 

243 


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244        "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 

The  Story  of  Easter.  Luke  23  :  33, 
34,  50  to  end ;  24 :  1-9 ;  John 
19:  25-27;  20:  1-18 327 

Jesus'  Last  Message.  John  21 : 
1-17;  Matt.  28:19,  20;  Luke 
24  :  50  to  end 234 

The  Good  Neighbour.  Luke 
'0:25-37      aij 

May  ....  Picture  ,  Caravan  in  Egypt.     (Decamp) 

Text .   .  Revelation  2 :  10.    (<•  Be  thou  faith- 

ful  unto  death.") 
Stories  .  Joseph     the     Dreamer.      Genesis 

37:1-11 48 

Joseph  Sold  by  His  Brothers.  Gen- 
esis 37  :  1 2  to  end 53 

Joseph  the  Ruler.    Genesis  39,  40, 

41.42:  i-S 56 

Joseph  Forgiving  His  Brothers. 
Genesis  42,  43,  44,  45,  46; 
47 :  '-12 59 

JmiK  ....  Picture  .  The  Good  Shepherd.    (Plockhorst) 
Text  .    .  John  lo:  11. 
Stories  .  The      Good      Shepherd.       John 

10: 1-18 180 

The  Lost  Sheep.  Luke  15 ;  3-7  .  184 
The  Lost  Money.  Luke  15  :  8-10  .  188 
The  Lost  Son.     Luke  15  :  11-32    .  193 

JULT  ....  Picture  .  The  Finding  of  Moses.    (Delaroche) 
Text.   .Psalm  91:11.     ("He  shall  give 

His  angels  charge  over  thee.") 
Stories  .  The    Baby    Boy    Moses.     Exodus 

2:  i-io 64 

Moses    the    Leader.    Exodus    3; 

12:34-39;  13:20-22 68 

The    Red    Sea.     Exodus   14 : 5  to 

end;  15  :  1-22 74 

Joshua  the  Soldier.  Joshua  5 :  13 
to  end ;  6 :  i-ao 77 

August    .   .  Picture  .  David  and  the  Lion.    (Gardner) 

Text .    .  Psalm  23 :  i.     ("  The  Lori  is  mj 

shepherd.") 
Stories  .  The  Story  of^  Ruth.    The  Book  of 

Ruth 87 

The  Shepherd  Boy.  i  Samuel 
'7:34-37 9« 


Arrangement  by  Months  245 

David  and  the   King,     i  Samuel 

16:  14  to  end  Q0 

David  and  the  Giant,     i  Sa.-iiuel  17  100 

SiFTEMBKR  .  Picture  .  Elijah  and  the  Widow's  Son.    (Mad- 

dox  Brown) 
Text  .    .  Josliua  i  :  5.    ("  I  will  not  fail  thee, 

nor  forsake  thee.") 
Stories  .  How  God  Took   Care  of  Elijah. 

I  Kings  17  :  1-7  ;  James  5  :  17, 

'"  ....  IOC 

The  Barrel  of  Meal  and  the  Cruse 
of  Oil.     1  Kings  17  :  8-,6  .    .    .  m 

Elijah  and  a  Little  Boy.  i  Kings 
17  :  17  to  end n- 

Fire  from  Heaven.     I  Kings  is"    !  118 

OCTOBM  .    .  Picture  .  The    Light  of  the  World.     (Hol- 
man  Hunt) 
Text        John  S  :  12.    (••  I  am  the  light  of 

the  world.") 
Stories  .  The    Light  of   the   World.    John 

8:12...  ■'         ,gg 

"  Follow  Me."    Matt  4  :  '1&-22  '.    '.  203 
The  Offering  of  a  Little  Lad.  John 

6:1-14       .  207 

The  Stilling  of  a  Storm.     Matt. 
»4  :  22-33 213 

November  .  Picture  .  Daniel's    Answer    to    the    Kine 
Reviere)  *' 
Text  .    .  Matt.  26 :  41.   ("  Watch  and  pray.") 
Stones  .  The  Story  of  Four  Boys.     Daniel  i  123 
The  Burning  Fiery  Furnace.    Dan- 
iel 3         ,2_ 

How  God  Punished  a  Proud  Kiiig.' 

Daniels  136 

Daniel  in  the  Den  of  Lions,     Dan- 
"■"='6 141 

December  .  Picture  .  The     Arrival  of   the    Shepherds. 
(Larolle) 
Text      ,  Luke  2  :  14. 
Stories  .  The  Coming  of  the  King.     Luke 

I  :  26-38  ;  46-55 146 

The  First  Christmas.    Lu:ce2:i-20  150 
The  Wise  Men.     Matt.  2:1-12         ic' 
The  Story  of  St.  Christopher.     Old 
Le«e«»d ijy 


¥ 


I. 


2. 

3- 


6. 


Order  of  Service 

A  few  quiet  measures  on  the  piano  to  bring  class 
to  order,  then  one  loud  chord  for  rising. 
Stand  and  sing  any  spirited  hymn. 

Recite  text  for  the  day,  or  for  the  month. 

Two  chords.  With  the  first,  turn,  with  the  sec- 
ond (a  soft  broken  chord)  kneel  and  sing  the 
following  prayer : 

( Tune,  St.  Sylvester) 
Heavenly  Father,  we  Thy  children. 

Gather  in  Thy  house  to-day ; 
Loving  Saviour,  Hay  Thou  near  us, 

Listen  to  us  as  we  pray. 

Guide  our  teacher  as  she  leads  us, 

Hear  Thy  praises  that  we  sing, 
Make  us  kind  to  one  another, 

Bless  the  pennies  that  we  bring. 

Watch  Thou  also  o'er  our  loved  ones 

In  their  sorrows  and  their  joys. 
Help  us  all  the  weeks  before  us 

To  be  better  girls  and  boys.      Amen. 

— w.  s.  c. 

Two  chords  for  rising  and  seating. 
Sing  "  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

(From   "Special  Songs  and  Services,"   by 

Mrs.  Kennedy,  published  by  Wilde  &  Co.) 
Short  talk  by  the  leader  on  some  subject  familiar 

to  the  child,  which  is  also  connected  with  the 

lesson  for  the  day. 
Rise,  and  sing  an  old  hymn  or  learn  a  verse  of  a 

new  one. 

•46 


Order  of  Scrvi'^e 


247 


c- 


8. 


by 

I 

iar 

he 

fa 


Special  Exercises. 

The  birthday  service  if  a  child  has  had  a  birth- 
day during  tlie  week.     (See  page  250.) 

Welcome  to  a  new  scholar  if  there  is  a  new 
nieii.ber.     (Seepage  251.) 

Cradle  Roll  service,  if  there  is  a  new  baby  in 
one  of  the  scholars'  families.    (See  page  252.) 

Promotion  service  on  the  Sinidays  children  are 
promoted  into  older  departments.  (See  page 
253) 

Collection  and  record  of  attendance  during  sing- 
ing of  offertory  hymn. 

If  the  Infant  Department  is  divided  into  small 
classes,  each  teacher  marks  her  own  roll  book  and 
takes  her  class  collection  it:  a  small  bank.  The  banks 
are  then  brought  by  a  member  of  each  class  to  the 
leader,  and  the  offertory  verse  is  sung. 

{Tune,  "  mat  a  Friettd  We  Have  in  Jesus  ") 
Father  to  Thy  loving  kindness, 

Never  faihng  us,  we  owe, 
Homes,  and  friends,  nnd  schools,  and  teacheri, 

All  the  pleasures  that  we  know. 
So  if  boys  and  girls  are  churchless, 

Homeless,  friendless  anywhere. 
Use,  O  Lord,  these  gifts  we  bring  Thee 

For  Thy  needy  children's  care. 

— w.  s.  c 

Offertory  Verse  for  Christmas  Tirne 
What  shall  I  give  Him,  poor  as  I  am, 
ir        -a  shepherd,  I'd  bring  Him  a  Iamb ;  (arms  holding) 
n  .     .re  a  wise  man,  I  would  do  my  part,  (kneeling  and 

presenting) 
But  what  shall  I  give  Him  ?  (standing) 
Give  Him  my  heart 

—Christina  Rosittl 


JWT 


W 


248         "Tell  Me  a  True  Story" 


Lesson.  The  small  class  separates  into  circles 
for  the  teaching  of  the  lesson  story  and  for 
reproducing  it  by  drawing  or  acting.  Twenty 
minutes  should  be  allowed. 

Classes  reunite.  After  a' I  are  assembled  let 
them  rise  with  one  cho.  a  on  the  piano  and 
sing  a  hymn. 

Review  of  the  lesson  by  the  leader. 

Recite  (with  appropriate  motions). 


10. 


II. 

13. 


{Standing) 
Twt.  bands  now  let  us  show. 
Two  hands  held  out  Just  so. 
Right  hand,  right  things  must  do^ 
Left  hand  must  help  it  too. 
Clasp  them  in  prayer  each  day. 
Raise  them  (or  good  alway, 
From  mischief  hold  them  tight 
Nor  let  them  strike  or  fight. 
But  stretch  them  out  in  love. 
And  upwards  point  above. 


{Seated) 
Now  fold  them  as  we  pray. 
And  think  of  what  we  say. 
With  heads  all  bending  low. 
And  eyes  all  closed  just  so. 
Repeating,  word  for  word, 
The  prayer  of  our  dear  Lord. 
(From  "  Special  Songs  and  Services,"  by  Mrs.  Kennedy,  pub- 
lished by  WUde  &  Co.) 

Prayer  by  leader,  ending  with  the  Lord's  Prayer,  in 
which  the  children  join. 

13.  Sing  an  evening  hymn. 

14.  Rise  and  sLig : 


Order  of  Service 


:les 
for 
uty 

let 
Ad 


H9 


{Tunt,  "  Je.   s  Lwts  Me") 
Father,  teacli  us  as  we  go, 
What  we've  leai  ned  in  deeds  to  ihow ; 
Work  or  play,  whate'er  we  do, 
Make  us  loving,  kind  and  true. 

-w.  s.  c 

Repeat :  "The  Lord  watch  between  me  and  thee 
when  we  are  absent  one  from  another." 

Sing :  "  Good-bye  to  you,  good-b;  e  to  you,  good- 
bye dear  children,  good-bye  to  you." 

Also:  '«  Good-bye  dear  teacher."  (From  "  Song 
Stories  for  the  Sunday-School,"  published  by  Summy 
ft  Co.) 


)nt> 


in 


250        "TcU  Me  a  True  Story" 


Birthday  Service 


The  birthday  child  should  bring  an  envelope  to  the 
leader  coataiiiiug  as  many  pennies  as  he,  or  she,  is 
years  old ;  she  opens  it  and  the  child  drops  each  penny 
into  a  bank,  while  the  children  count  the  number  of 
yeiii .. 

iac  class  recites  the  following  prayer  with  the 
teacher : 

"  We  thank  Thee,  Heavenly  Fatlier, 

For  all  the  luving  care, 
That  Thou  ha^t  t;iven  (cliild's  name) 

At  home  and  everywhere. 
For  .   .  years  Thou  hast  guarded  him, 

Asleep,  at  work,  at  play, 
O  Father,  love  and  care  tor  him. 

On  this  and  every  day."        Amen. 

Sing:  "Happy  Birthday  to  You."  (Music  same 
as  "  Good-bye  to  You.") 


I 


Welcoming  New  Scholar*         251 


Welcoming  New  Scholars 

The  leader,  or  one  of  tlie  te;icliers,  stands  beside  the 
new  scliolar,  f;icing  the  class,  and  sings  the  first  two 
lines  of  each  verse. 

The  class  respond  with  the  remaining  lines. 

f  Tuse,  •■  SAiniiii^  Suit  "  in  '•  The  School  Jlymnal"  published  by 
PiiihyUrian  Bvard of  I'ubliciiCioii) 
Is  there  room  ?     Is  tlieie  nx)m  i  in  your  happy  throng, 
May  anotlitr  find  a  place,  join  in  prayer  and  song  ? 
Liltlc  child,  hlilu  child,  hear  the  welcome  call. 
In  our  heavenly  Fatlier's  house  there  is  room  for  alL 

Little  friends,  little  friends,  gathered  here  to-day. 
Tell  me  of  Our  Fatlier's  Love,  how  to  live  His  way. 
Little  child,  little  chihl,  helpful  be  and  true, 
Hear>  aglow  with  love  and  joy,  that's  His  way  for  you. 

— w.  s.  c. 


2S2        -Tell  Mc  a  True  Story - 


Cradle  Roll  Service 

Iiace  a  small  cradle  on  a  table  in  front  of  the  cUm. 
The  child  nearest  of  kin  to  the  new  baby  presents  an 
application  card  stating  its  name  and  age.  This  is 
read  uloud  by  the  leader  and  placed  in  the  cradle  by 
the  child. 

Leader :     What  did  Jesus  say  about  little  children  ? 

Class:  Jesus  said,  "Suffer  the  little  children  to 
come  unto  Me,  and  forbio  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven." 

Sing : 

{Tune,  "  Tramp,  Ti'amf,  Tramp") 

Jesus  loves  thr  little  children, 

All  the  children  of  the  world. 

Brown,  and  yellow,  black  and  white. 

They  are  precious  in  His  sight ; 

Jesus  loves  the  little  children  of  the  world. 

— Rav.  HsNav  Wilson. 


Promotion  Service 


'53 


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Promotion  Service 

The  children  to  be  promoted  stand  in  a  line  facing 
dasa.  The  class  rises  and  salutes  them  in  time  to 
chords. 

I,  stand;  a,  hand  to  forehead;  3,  salute;  4,  arm 
down  at  side ;  5,  sit  down. 

The  class  recites  the  following  verse  j 

Girls,  good-bye!     Boy.,  good-bye!     We  are  iorry  yoa  mori 

pass. 
From  our  pleasant  company  to  the  older  class. 
Together  we  will  sing  our  song,  and  bow  our  headi  to  pray 
We  love  you  and  will  ihink  of  you.  God  blest  you  every  day. 

— ROBKRT  DaVII. 

Sing:    "Good-bye   to    You." 

Give  a  flower  to  each  child  promoted  and  let  them 
inarch  from  room  into  the  next  department  class-room. 

(The  Order  of  «  'ce  with  music  has  been  pub- 
lished by  Christ  Ch  ,  Sunday-school  and  may  be 
obuined  from  The  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company.) 


»( 


Printed  In  the  United  States  nf  America 


